Gidleigh Park All Heart in Windsor Lightning Thriller

The newly founded Berkshire Winter Millions kicked off in style last Friday, as Windsor celebrated its recent return to the jumping game with a cracking seven-race card.

The pick of the action came in the Grade 2 Lightning Novices’ Chase. Won by talents such as the multiple Grade 1 winner Shiskin in the recent past, the 2025 edition attracted a small but intriguing field, headed by a Paul Nicholls-trained star who fetched an astronomical sum at the sales.

Potter Better, But Not Good Enough

The €740,000 purchase Caldwell Potter invariably heads the market when he rocks up to the track, and such was the case here. In fairness to the horse, it isn’t his fault he cost so much, and there is plenty of talent to go with the price tag – never better displayed than when cruising to success by more than six lengths in the Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Sent over fences this term, he made a positive start when scoring at Carlisle, only to fluff his lines when 13 lengths adrift of Jango Baie in the SSS Super Alloys Novices’ Chase.

When compared to that Prestbury Park outing, this rated a step back in the right direction. Travelling well enough, Caldwell Potter sat just off the lead deep into the race. The mount of Harry Cobden remained bang in contention over the second last. However, when push came to shove, he proved no match for a highly regarded rival who got his career back on track in some style.

Fry Star Too Hot to Handle

Around this time last year, the Harry Fry-trained Gidleigh Park was rocketing towards the head of the Novice Hurdle ranks. Appearing just once in 2023, the Walk In The Park gelding slammed The Jukebox Man by six lengths in a Chepstow Bumper. With The Jukebox Man now a Grade 1 winner, that form doesn’t look too bad now, and Gidleigh Park delivered on his potential over hurdles during the 2023/24 campaign.

Kicking off with a win at Exeter, he followed up in majestic style at Newbury before achieving a Graded race breakthrough in the SSS Super Alloys Novices’ Hurdle. The combination of a step up to 3m and bottomless ground proved too much in the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, but he still ranked as one of the most interesting recruits to the 2024/25 Novice Chase division.

To say his first start over fences didn’t quite go to plan is something of an understatement. Sent off as the odds-on favourite for a Beginners Chase at Kempton, Gidleigh Park began to backpedal at the fourth fence before being pulled up approaching the sixth obstacle. Given his previous level of form, that abject display suggested that all was not right with the up-and-coming star. Sure enough, a post-race examination revealed that the six-year-old had an irregular heartbeat.

Given almost two months to recover from his ailment, Gidleigh Park showed there was nothing wrong with his heart as he relocated the Grade 2 Winner’s Enclosure.

Immediately pushed into the lead by Bryan Carver, the strapping bay used his giant stride and excellent jumping to great effect. With Personal Ambition and You Wear It Well finding the pace too hot, Gidleigh Park finally mastered Caldwell Potter between the final two fences en route to a four-length victory.

Lightning Novices’ Chase 2025 Full Result

Position Horse (SP) Jockey Trainer
1st Gidleigh Park (15/2) Harry Fry Bryan Carver
2nd Caldwell Potter (4/6) Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls
3rd Personal Ambition (5/1) Ben Jones Ben Pauling
4th You Wear It Well (4/1) Gavin Sheehan Jamie Snowden

Connections Delighted

Arkle Chase 2025 Betting
Gidleigh Park is now as short as 16/1 for the Arkle Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival

Summing up the display of his back-to-form star, Harry Fry stated:

“We’re back where we want to be. Relief is the overriding feeling, but I’m delighted to see him come out and jump and gallop and hit the line hard like we know he can.”

This success was particularly significant for jockey Bryan Carver, who recorded the first Graded victory of his career. The exuberant rider was understandably elated, saying:

“It’s a milestone everyone wants to get, and it’s taken me a while. Harry and Ciara have been very good to me this season, so I’m thrilled to be here and win a nice one.”

Where Gidleigh Park heads next is yet to be confirmed. However, the odds compilers were sufficiently impressed with this outing to introduce The Eyre Family-owned runner at a general 16/1 for the Arkle Challenge Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival.