Promising Idaho Sun on target for Supreme

Harry Fry is relishing the prospect of seeing Idaho Sun line up in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

The six-year-old propelled his name into the equation for the traditional Prestbury Park curtain-raiser with a hat-trick of wins this winter, most recently claiming Grade One honours in Aintree’s Formby Novices’ Hurdle at the expense of the one time ante-post favourite for the Supreme in Dan Skelton’s Mydaddypaddy.

Fry believes his star hurdler will be better suited by Cheltenham, where the Jeremy Gear-owned gelding finished sixth in the Champion Bumper last March.

“I’m very happy with him and looking forward to the Supreme (Novices’ Hurdle),” Fry said.

“He’s in good form with himself at home and we’re looking forward to hopefully going there with a great chance.

“I felt that whatever he did at Aintree, he’d be better suited to Cheltenham anyway with a stiff finish. It’s exciting to go there with a really strong chance.

“He will be all the better for that experience. He got all unbalanced coming down the hill in the Champion Bumper and lost his position, but then stayed on really well on the rising ground to the finish so that experience will stand him in good stead. I can’t wait to take him back.”

The Higher Crockermoor handler revealed Gidleigh Park will miss the Festival in favour of waiting for the Grand National meeting at Aintree.

He was last seen pulling up in the Clarence House Chase in January and Fry is keen to give his charge, who has suffered issues with atrial fibrillation in the past, plenty of time to recover.

“He’s fine, it obviously wasn’t his true running at Ascot, and given his previous health issues, we are giving him the time to get right hopefully for Aintree,” Fry added.

“It’s what we did last year, he ran well in the opening race on the Thursday (second to Impaire Et Passe in Manifesto Novices’ Chase).

“It clearly wasn’t him at Ascot, so we’ve taken him out of Cheltenham and given ourselves the time to hopefully get him spot on for Aintree in April.

“It is well-documented what we’ve had previously, so no new issues, but we just need the time to get him right.”