Aintree Antepost Racing Tips: Play pair of Kings at 14/1 and 16/1 each-way

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Aintree Friday 13:45 - Fortune to favour Alan back at Aintree

As of Tuesday morning the going in Liverpool was registering good, good to soft in places. Drying conditions brings into play quite a few who have faced the wretched winter mud,and that's certainly the case with Rubber Ball.

Favour And Fortune's career hasn't quite gone according to plan and he has the look these days of a fourth-tier influencer. His trainer Alan King must feel like there is some unfinished business with this horse.

After winning the Scottish Champion Hurdle in April 2024 off 138, he then went the whole of the following season without a victory. That was some performance in Scotland then as a novice as he travelled well into the straight, was headed and then fought back to the line with a decent round of jumping.

He ran quite well in this very race to finish third last year, and should be spot on in terms of fitness after a spin at Kempton in February - his first outing for 323 days, over a slightly longer trip. The assessment of the race was that he travelled well and then stopped as if needing the run.

Aintree is a track he goes well at, as he finished second to Jango Baie in the Formby as a novice in 2023. At 14/115.00, and with some back form in the race, he looks worthy as an each way play.

Aintree Friday 17:15 - King outsider at 16/117.00 looks a contender

The heavy going was dead against my tip for the Friday Debenhams Handicap Hurdle (Conditional Jockeys' And Amateur Riders' Race) at 17:15 and the Sportsbook is paying four places for an each-way bet.

We are playing our pair of Kings here. One such contender is Neil King's Rubber Ball, who was virtually sunk in the Imperial Cup at Sandown and lost his moorings once he pressed the leader.

No one was catching Mondo Man that day and barely anything was "molto rapido". Aintree presents a different test altogether, and King said afterwards that his hurdler wants a flatter track and better going. Mr King, you have your wish.

Rubber Ball does hold an entry in the Scottish Champion Hurdle a week later at Ayr, but this looks a better spot from a mark of 128, the same from Sandown and in two runs at Aintree this season he has raced over 2m4f - one of those behind front-runner Bear Market, who he tried to race with before his stamina completely gave way in the straight.

Back to 2m, this looks ideal. 

Aintree Saturday 14:30 - Konfusion deserves another chance after Cheltenham spill

Konfusion is another who holds an entry for Ayr the following weekend, and has half a hoof in the Scottish Grand National, so Sue Smith and Joel Parkinson must feel drying spring ground won't be a deterring factor.

Gavin Sheehan has already been booked, so hopefully they mean business as Sheehan rode the yard's O'Connell earlier in the season to success at Sandown. He was in the Ultima last time at Cheltenham and I quite fancied him.

As a front-runner he couldn't quite get the lead in the cavalry charge to the first fence and he wasn't helped by the starter Charlie Caroli that day, who presumably went home on a bicycle that fell apart and a camera that squirted ink. 

Konfusion jumped well on the first circuit, but he almost lost his jockey early on the second lap before slipping on landing (officially given as a fall). He unseated at the 11th at the Betfair Chase meeting at Haydock in December, but I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with his jumping as he won both the Rowland Meyrick and Rehearsal Chases at Wetherby and Newcastle soon after.

He also finished third in the Peter Marsh and jumped really well on the second circuit and a nice flat track left-handed will be a plus for him. Lookaway is the clear front-runner so I assume he'll enter warp speed early as that's the way he races. But I anticipate Konfusion will sit on him, like he did with Myretown in the Pater Marsh, then apply some pressure on the second circuit.

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