Greatwood is Plan A for ‘unexposed’ Idaho Sun
Grade One-winning novice was forced to miss last year’s Festival.
Harry Fry believes missing the Cheltenham Festival could prove a blessing in disguise if conditions allow Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle favourite Idaho Sun to reappear at Prestbury Park on Sunday week.
Unbeaten over hurdles and last seen beating Supreme Novices’ Hurdle runner-up Mydaddypaddy on Boxing Day at Aintree, the six-year-old was being prepared for his own tilt at the Festival opener when ruled out only days before the curtain went up on the season’s showpiece meeting.
However, while many he would have met at Cheltenham are already stepping into deeper waters at the beginning of the new campaign, Idaho Sun has been left untouched on a tantalising mark of 142 by the handicapper, a figure his team are keen to attempt to exploit on his seasonal bow.
“This has very much been the plan and we just hope we get the ground for him,” said Fry. “We’re very happy with him at home and he’s in great order.
“He’s obviously unbeaten over hurdles and he won the Grade One Formby on his last start. It was obviously disappointing to miss out on running at the Cheltenham Festival but as a result it means we are still unexposed at the beginning of this campaign, hence we are targeting a race like the Greatwood.
“Second-season hurdlers have a great record in it and it’s always competitive so we are under no illusions about the challenge he faces. But we think he’s very much worth his chance in the race and we’re looking forward to seeing how he performs in terms of how the rest of his campaign may look.”
Idaho Sun is as short as 5-2 for the Greatwood with the race sponsors, but is a general 20-1 chance for the Champion Hurdle, a double last completed by Rooster Booster in 2002.
Joe Tizzard’s Alexei would go on to finish fourth in the Champion Hurdle after his own win in the competitive handicap 12 months ago and while he could be seen challenging Idaho Sun’s old foe and Champion Hurdle second-favourite Mydaddypaddy at Aintree on Saturday, Fry is optimistic his charge will soon get his own opportunity to join that particular band of competition.
On a move back into graded company after his return, Fry said: “It is what we’re very much hoping, but the horse has got to go and perform and we will let him tell us what level we should be targeting him at.
“Of course we have aspirations and hope he is able to fulfil them, but at the same time he has got to go and find his level and his first port of call is the Greatwood, which will give us a good pointer for the rest of the season.”
Although a long-awaited trip to Prestbury Park remains Plan A for Idaho Sun, Newbury’s Coral Racing Club Intermediate Handicap Hurdle on November 28 could prove another available option, with recent Ascot winner Trustintimes – who does hold a Greatwood entry – waiting in the wings to fill either void.
Fry continued: “I think we will have all bases covered and Trustintimes is happier on better ground whereas Idaho would want some cut in the ground.
“I think we will almost certainly leave both of them in the Greatwood at the confirmation stage on Monday and then see what the weather does in terms of ground conditions and it should certainly suit one of them.
“Whichever one it doesn’t we would probably look at the Gerry Fielden with. That’s a couple of weeks later and the idea is we’ll have softer ground by then or it will still be good ground for Trustintimes.”