Fry keen to see ‘exciting’ Idaho Sun tackle Formby test

Harry Fry is excited to test Idaho Sun’s powers against the likes of Maydaddypaddy in the William Hill Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.

The five-year-old has been beaten only once in five starts to date and that was when finishing a creditable sixth in the Champion Bumper at last season’s Cheltenham Festival.

He has won his first two starts over hurdles at Fontwell and Bangor without being seriously challenged and he will now take on Dan Skelton’s unbeaten Supreme Novices’ Hurdle favourite Mydaddypaddy at Grade One level on Boxing Day.

“It’s all systems go and I’m really looking forward to letting him take his chance,” said Fry.

“He’s a very exciting novice and it will be interesting to see how he gets on against some other very promising novices.

“It will be informative, we’ve certainly been very pleased with the progress he’s made in his two starts (over hurdles) to date and we hope there’s more progression to come.”

Starmount also faces a rise in class after scoring comfortably on his debut under rules at Wetherby, but trainer Ben Pauling is confident there is a lot of improvement in the locker.

“He was very good at Wetherby and hadn’t had the most perfect preparation. He got jarred up in a racecourse gallop at Worcester, so I had to really sit on him for a month,” said the Naunton-based trainer.

“He’s a bold, strong horse and he won’t give a monkeys what he’s running against – he’ll go and put up a good show.

“He’s an arrogant horse, that’s probably the best way of putting it. He’s brave, a very fast and accurate jumper and we’ll just see where he sits.

“It’s going to be a very good race because Mydaddypaddy goes there, but it will tell us where we are.

“I think he’s a three-miler, I think he’s slow, but he’s got a proper attitude and I think he’ll be a good horse.”

Mydaddypaddy is the 1-2 favourite with Paddy Power, who make Idaho Sun a 9-2 chance and Starmount third in the market at 8-1.