Onefitzall

26th-Nov-2016

Born Survivor is a worthy favourite here.  Dan Skelton’s horse is lightly raced and progressive, and he shaped encouragingly on his debut this season at Aintree last month when he finished second to Massini’s Trap, who really should have won a more valuable race at Haydock last Saturday off a 9lb higher mark.

Born Survivor was well beaten by Massini’s Trap in the end, but he is only 2lb higher and he has lots of scope for progression.

However, Onefitzall also has lots of scope for progression now.  He shouldn’t be as far behind Born Survivor in the betting as he is in my book, and he looks over-priced at 5/1.

Winner of his only bumper, Philip Hobbs’ horse shaped like a horse with a big future when he won on his hurdling bow back at Uttoxeter last October.  He didn’t go on from there last season, however.  He found disappointingly little after travelling well at Leicester next time, and he broke a blood vessel at Market Rasen on his final run of the season.  That is a little bit of a worry, but you can easily forgive him that run as a result.

He ran a big race on his debut this term to finish second to the talented Definitly Red – who is favourite for the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle this afternoon – at Carlisle last month.  Well back early on, he stayed on nicely up the home straight, despite racing towards the far side, probably on the worst of the ground, and despite not jumping the last two flights fluently.

The handicapper raised him 3lb to a mark of 133, but that was fair.  That was just his fourth run over hurdles and just his fifth run under all codes, so he has lots of scope to progress further.

Gibralfaro is interesting, he was a high class juvenile last season, and Disputed could out-run big odds, but Onefitzall is the bet.

ONEFITZALL WON (ADV 5/1, SP 7/2)