HURDLING duo Idder and Golden Town can bring more success to trainer James Moffatt's Cartmel yard after strong starts to the year.

Idder claimed Moffatt's first win of 2017 when crossing the line under Brian Hughes well clear of the field at Musselburgh.

On the same afternoon, Golden Town went close to breaking his duck as Craig Nichol finished second – behind Hughes on Fattsota.

Moffatt has been pleased with how both the mounts are looking at his Pit Farm Stables base, and is happy to see them both go up in the ratings, with the hopes of further glory down the line.

“We quietly fancied Idder when he won at Musselbugh– the owners had a couple of quid on it,” Moffatt said of the Edinburgh success.

“Golden Town, I thought in some ways that, while Craig Nicholl gave him a very good ride, Brian Hughes has ridden him four times before and really does know the horse.

“Brian rode the winner of the race, Fattsota, and you just felt that Brian - with his prior knowledge of Golden Town – could have made the difference.

“Golden Town has gone up quite a bit in the ratings. He's gone up to 117, which shouldn't really hold too many problems for him. He should be winning a maiden hurdle standing on his head now with that rating.

“Idder has gone up to 115, and there is not much to choose between the two of them. I believe both horses will go up from those ratings as well.

“Idder is probably going to be a well-handicapped horse at 115. It's whether we take him for a novice hurdle with a penalty in the future, or we try and capitalise on that mark. We'll just have to see how it goes. He seems to have come out of it very well.”

Golden Town's next outing is set to be at Haydock on Saturday, in the Sky Bet Supreme Trial Rossington Main Novices' Hurdle.

The £30,000 Grade Two race will see a maximum of 10 horses going to post in a high-quality field.

Moffatt's mount is the 20/1 outsider among an entry list that is headed by unbeaten hurdler Elgin, who triumphed at Kempton on Boxing Day, and which also includes River Wylde, Neon Wolf and Craggaknock, who have also yet to be surpassed over the obstacles.

Golden Town made his bow for Moffatt with two third places at Cartmel last year, and the handler is now looking to run Idder there this year as well.

There will be runs in between time, but his favouring of good ground will see him targeted at the local course where Moffatt had six winners in 2016.

“We'll give him a week or two now,” he said. “He's a nice horse and one I will be hoping to run through the summer at Cartmel, so we won't be too hard on him. He's more of a good ground horse.”