Gidleigh Park shows true worth with Lightning strike

Harry Fry was delighted and relieved in equal measure after seeing stable star Gidleigh Park get his season back on track with a front-running victory in the Fitzdares Lightning Novices’ Chase at Windsor.

Always held in the highest regard by his trainer, the seven-year-old won a Chepstow bumper and his first three starts over hurdles before finishing sixth in the Albert Bartlett at last season’s Cheltenham Festival.

He was an odds-on favourite to make a successful switch to chasing at Kempton in November, but was pulled up after jumping five fences and was later found to be suffering from a fibrillating heart.

As a result, Gidleigh Park lined up in this Grade Two contest as a 15-2 outsider of four under Bryan Carver, but it was clear from an early stage he was enjoying the task, as he set a strong gallop from flag-fall that only 4-6 favourite Caldwell Potter was able to live with.

Grade One-winning hurdler Caldwell Potter, a €740,000 purchase on behalf of an ownership group that includes Sir Alex Ferguson, loomed up looking a big danger early in the home straight, but Gidleigh Park kept galloping out in front and was well on top as he passed the post with four lengths in hand.

Personal Ambition was a further 19 lengths behind in third, with You Wear It Well last of four from start to finish.

Fry told Sky Sports Racing: “I think relief is probably the overriding feeling, first and foremost that he’s come out and jumped and galloped and hit the line hard.

“Winning today was the icing on the cake, as we wanted to see him back to his best and I’m thrilled obviously to see him put in a performance like that. We’re back on track and onwards and upwards.

“A lot of people have helped us get him back, a lot of people have put in a lot of effort and it’s great to see that hard work paid off and the dream is alive.

“All summer, I couldn’t believe I ran him in the Albert Bartlett over three miles to be honest, because he’s not a slow horse, as he’s shown there today.

“We were starting back from scratch today, so we’ll go home and see how he comes out of it – obviously his well-being is paramount – and we can look forward to plotting the rest of the campaign with him.”

Paul Nicholls felt Caldwell Potter was simply not as good as the winner on the day, but he remains confident the grey will shine in due course.

He said: “No excuses, Harry (Cobden) got off and said ‘lovely horse but not a champion’. That probably sums it up.

“He galloped and jumped but wasn’t good enough.

“He will win a lot of races, just because he’s got that price tag, he’s got expectations he’s going to be another Kauto Star but he’s not.

“He’s a nice horse, jumped well, travelled well but just didn’t win. The winner is no mug, they went a good gallop round here.

“Harry summed it up and I think it’s probably about right.”