Only Orsenfoolsies
Only Orsenfoolsies did well to finish as close as he did in the November Handicap, given that he raced up with the pace from early. He led the main body of the field behind the two breakaway leaders Giantstepsahead and Green Light, who both faded to finish 15th and 17th respectively. He travelled well into the home straight and kept on to finish fifth. The first three home were all held up, they occupied three of the last five positions at the top of the home straight, and they finished clear, while the fourth raced in mid-division.
Only Orsenfoolsies is usually a front-runner, so he was compromised at least a little by the fact that he was not able to get to the front. As well as that, he was 3lb wrong at the weights, he was 3lb out of the handicap. He effectively raced off a mark of 90 here, but the handicapper has left him on his original mark of 87, which is fair.
Micky Hammond's horse is six now, and he is not especially unexposed on the flat, but he could be a well handicapped horse now over hurdles on a mark of 137. Winner of the Victor Ludorum Hurdle at Haydock as a four-year-old in February 2013, when he had Zamdy Man - now rated 156 - behind him in second place, he will be interesting now if he embarks on a hurdles campaign. He loves this soft ground, and there could be a decent soft-ground handicap hurdle in him this winter. If he is not sent back over hurdles, he is one to keep in mind for a soft ground handicap at the start of the 2016 flat season. He stays a mile and a half well on the flat.
7th November 2015
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