The improving jumper officially fell in the Waikato Steeplechase, but you can write that off as slipped, rather fell, and he wasn't the only jumper on the day to do that.
Down on the minimum weight of 65kg, Izzyosler has a significant advantage over a few of his favoured rivals.
The record books show he has fallen twice in his past four jumping races, but as John Wheeler points out he is a lot more reliable than that.
It's reasonable to expect Ann Browne's talented pair Toms Myth and Ima Heroine, who have to lump 70.5kg and 68.5kg, to improve with racing as they head to even more important challenges later in the winter.
That leaves the likes of Cape Kinaveral, Solid Steal and Rosetown Joe as dangers.
Isaac Lupton has a big chance in the hurdles on Stainley, prepared by his partner in Joanne Moss.
She fancies a big run from her promising horse, but would love to see more rain.
"He loves deep winter footing, in fact, the wetter the better, so if we could just get some rain I would be really confident of a big run," said Moss.
"His one start in this campaign has got him pretty fit, so I give him a chance if we get the rain."
Stainley tackled the Great Northern Hurdles last year as a relative newcomer and Moss is keen to have another attempt this year.
"He has plenty of ability and it's those big races you always want to have a go at so I am keen to bring him back for the Northern this year," she said.
"I really liked his effort last year for a relative novice horse and if we'd got more rain he'd have finished closer."
Hurdles topweight Krona has 69kg, which will not be easy, but his last-start second at Te Rapa was very impressive and he's not far off a victory.
Back to Ellerslie on Saturday, there was a beautiful moment 400m out in Noel (Harry) Harris' fifth-from-five winning rides.
In winning the final event of his unbeaten raceday aboard the Graham Richardson-trained Our Essence, Harris provided us with a glimpse of why he remains a winning marvel in his old age - balance.
Harris brought Our Essence into the race at exactly the right time approaching the home turn, but on straightening he ran out of racing room directly ahead.
Most jockeys looking for a fifth straight victory would have been tempted to pull the horse off his feet in search of a different run forward.
Not Harris, whose unstated underscore has always been to keep them balanced at all costs. Harris waited for the gap that almost always seems to appear and drove Our Essence forward to collect a narrow notable victory which would not have been his had he panicked 400m earlier.
Remarkably, Harris had decided earlier in the week to travel to Wanganui on Saturday to ride Art Beat in the $50,000 AG Challenge Stakes.
Not a bad change of plans.
Art Beat was unplaced but was not disgraced in grinding home well from the tail to finish not far from the placegetters.
Harris' come-late style was obvious in all five wins, but particularly aboard Postmans Daughter.
