Harry Fry is excited to see what Gidleigh Park can achieve over fences next season following his sixth-place finish in the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival.

Impressive on his racecourse debut in a Chepstow bumper in the spring of last year, the six-year-old this term established himself as one of Britain’s leading novice hurdlers with a hat-trick of victories.

Having claimed Grade Two honours on Festival Trials day at Cheltenham in January, the son of Walk In The Park lost his unbeaten record on his return to the Cotswolds last month, with Fry blaming a combination of three miles and heavy ground for his slightly disappointing effort.

“He’s fine, it just didn’t happen for us on the day,” said the Dorset-based trainer.

“Obviously, the ground went testing from Thursday night into Friday and suddenly we were encountering what we’d been trying to avoid, which was running him over three miles on testing ground.

“It just meant they went steady, sensibly in the conditions, which didn’t suit us and he just overraced through the early and middle part of it and didn’t give himself a chance to really see it out.

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I don’t think we’d have beaten Ballyburn in the other race anyway (Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle). Probably the race we should have run in was the Supreme as it turned out, given the conditions.

“He’s fine and he’s been schooling away over fences since Cheltenham, which has gone very well, ahead of a novice chase campaign next season.

“We’ve always had half an eye on the day this horse goes novice chasing and he won’t be the first novice hurdler to get beat at the Festival and go on to better things over fences.”

Harry Fry is poised to let Boothill take a shot at the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, despite his star chaser heading into the Cheltenham Festival on the back of two falls.

A winner of seven of his 17 starts, the nine-year-old has claimed Grade Two honours over fences and started the current campaign in blistering form, winning two valuable Ascot handicaps at two miles.

Testing conditions saw him miss out on a run in the Tingle Creek at Sandown, but he has returned to graded company the last twice where he has failed to complete in both the Desert Orchid at Kempton and Newbury’s Game Spirit Chase earlier this month.

However, Fry has few concerns about Boothill’s jumping and rather than face the burden of top-weight in the Grand Annual, is preferring to let his charge take his chance in the feature of Wednesday’s Festival action, where his rivals are likely to include the mighty duo of El Fabiolo and Jonbon.

“He’s fine and come out of the race at Newbury well and we’re still working towards Cheltenham, albeit it’s not an ideal prep coming down the last twice,” said Fry.

“Fundamentally he jumps well, he has just made two mistakes and fallen on the two occasions he has made a mistake. He’s fine in himself and it’s got to be onwards and upwards.”

He went on: “At Newbury we knew the ground had gone against him, but having fallen at Kempton, we knew it was our last opportunity to run and we just thought we would use it to get a clear round under his belt.

“Unfortunately the heavy ground just finds his wind out and that was exactly what Johnny (Burke, jockey) said – going to the second last his wind just gave out on him and he just made a tired lunge at the fence rather than a genuine mistake. He’s normally very surefooted.

“It’s either the Champion Chase or carry top-weight in the Grand Annual and we’re inclined to let him take his chance (in the Champion Chase) on hopefully a bit better ground.

“Wee’re not saying we’ll go there and win, but if he was to run a good race then you never know.”

Harry Fry has his eyes fixed on two of Newbury’s biggest prizes of the season with Boothill and Altobelli on Saturday.

Two-mile chaser Boothill is set for a clash with Edwardstone, Editeur Du Gite and dual winner Funambule Sivola in the Betfair Exchange Game Spirit Chase.

Boothill won twice at Ascot early in the season, missed the Tingle Creek due to the heavy ground and was a faller last time out in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton.

“We are looking forward to running Boothill on Saturday in the Betfair Game Spirit Chase at Newbury,” said Fry.

“He was last seen at Kempton where he fell at Christmas, but thankfully he was none the worse for that fall and we are hoping he can put that firmly behind him on Saturday.”

Altobelli, a second-season hurdler, has been placed in two big-field handicaps at Ascot, first when second to Dan Skelton’s Knickerbocker Glory and then when third to Luccia in the Betfair Exchange Trophy and he is chasing more of the sponsor’s money this weekend.

“Altobelli is all set to run in the Betfair Hurdle having run well in two competitive handicap hurdles at Ascot so far this season,” said Fry.

“The experience of those races won’t be lost on him and, with hopefully slightly slower underfoot conditions, that can only play to his strengths and he can be competitive, all being well on Saturday.”

Love Envoi could be rerouted to the Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday week after freezing temperatures scuppered plans to run at Lingfield on Friday.

Having finished second to Not So Sleepy in the rearranged Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Sandown on her reappearance, Harry Fry’s star mare was due to take on the boys once more in the £100,000 Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide Hurdle on day one of Lingfield’s Winter Million Racing Festival.

However, a frozen track forced the abandonment of Friday’s card and while the Lightning Novices’ Chase was rescheduled to be run at the same track on Sunday, Love Envoi’s race was not.

Fry has yet to firm up an alternative target for the Noel Fehily Racing-owned eight-year-old, but raised next weekend’s Grade Two feature in the Cotswolds as a possible option following news earlier in the week that Champion Hurdle hero Constitution Hill will not be lining up.

“We’re in discussions with Noel Fehily and Dave Crosse and the owners about what we do next, we haven’t decided yet,” said Fry.

“Friday’s race was ideal, but it was not to be, so we’re discussing it among ourselves and deciding on a new plan.

“There’s a mares’ hurdle at Doncaster next weekend over two miles, but I think that’s very unlikely. There is the International (Unibet Hurdle) at Cheltenham and I think we’ll probably be putting an entry in for that, and then there’s a Listed mares’ hurdle at Warwick on February 10.

“We’ll continue to discuss it and work out where we go from here.”

Gidleigh Park is set to get some valuable Cheltenham experience on his next start following his impressive victory at Newbury on Wednesday.

The Walk In The Park gelding looked an above-average prospect when dominating his rivals in a Chepstow bumper in the spring and has only given that theory more weight since being sent over hurdles.

Harry Fry’s charge made an excellent start to his jumping career at Exeter last month and doubled his tally in some style under a penalty, pulling upwards of nine lengths clear of his rivals.

Paddy Power trimmed Gidleigh Park’s odds for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival to 14-1 from 25s, and the five-year-old is set to get an early sighter of Prestbury Park on Trials day at the end of January.

“I was delighted with him as it’s another step up the ladder and more experience,” said Fry.

“All being well, he’ll now step up in grade at Cheltenham on Trials Day – there’s a a Grade Two novices’ hurdle for him there.

“It’s exciting that he’s progressing the way he is and long may it continue.

“We’ll keep asking the question and see if he’s up to it. We’ll take it a race at a time, but those races are there as stepping stones to the big spring festivals and hopefully he’ll justify his place.”

Harry Fry is looking forward to raising Might I’s sights in an intriguing renewal of the Howden Noel Novices’ Chase at Ascot on Friday.

The seven-year-old was a high-class novice hurdler a couple of seasons ago, placing behind Constitution Hill and Jonbon along the way, while he also picked up minor honours in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival last term.

He has been switched the larger obstacles this autumn and having pushed Complete Unknown close on his introduction before opening his account in a match race at Exeter last month, he will now test his powers at Grade Two level in Berkshire.

“This is obviously his third start over fences. He made the most of a match opportunity the last day, but it was still good experience nonetheless,” said Fry.

“We take the step up in grade, hopefully he puts in a good round of jumping and if he does that then I’d hope he’ll have every chance.

“There’s not much between the four runners, he deserves to be in there for sure and hopefully he’ll give a good account of himself.”

The quartet is headed by Dan Skelton’s Unexpected Party, who is eased in class and upped in trip after finishing fifth in the Grade One Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown a fortnight ago.

“He’s come out of Sandown very well. He didn’t figure prominently in the Henry VIII and this is not a dissimilar type of race, so he’s got a lot to do to win but he deserves his place in these types of races,” said Skelton.

“They’re not getting massively supported so if we’ve got one, we’re going to run them. He’s gone well at Ascot before so there are no negatives there.”

Djelo bids to make it three from three over fences for Venetia Williams following a couple of impressive handicap wins, while the Paul Nicholls-trained Kandoo Kid makes a similar move after beating Williams’ Frero Banbou in a Newbury handicap last time.

Boothill booked his ticket to the Clarence House Chase as he continued his Ascot love affair in the Jim Barry Hurst Park Handicap Chase.

Harry Fry’s eight-year-old won the race off a mark of 140 last year – and having acquitted himself well in some hot novice events afterwards, defended his title off a 15lb higher mark having triumphed again over the course and distance on his return to action.

Sent off the 11-4 favourite there was still all to play for as Boothill and Jane Williams’ Saint Segal approached the last locked together, but a fall for the 5-1 shot opened the door for Johnny Burke and his willing mount, who had enough in reserve to repel a late rally from 7-2 second-favourite Frere D’Armes.

He finished with half a length in hand, to the delight of his trainer who had suffered a narrow reversal with Whitehotchillifili in the previous contest, and although holding an entry for the Tingle Creek at Sandown on December 9, Fry suggested his winner will now return to his favourite playground for a shot at the two-mile Grade One on January 20.

“Sometimes you have to get the rub of the green in this game, I’m just pleased to see the faller at the last get up,” said Fry.

“It was still all to play for and it just went our way.

“I was delighted with the performance and it was brilliant to come here and win this again, he really likes this track. It’s great to see him win it again and we may have got away with it, but it’s a great prize and it’s onwards and upwards.

“We have the entry in the Tingle Creek, but that is only in a fortnight’s time. I suspect we will wait and aim to come back here for the Clarence House and it will feel like a home match.

“I think he deserves his chance in these Graded races now. Obviously it is going to be a big step up again, but he deserves to go there.”