Friday Horse Racing Tips, Odds & Best Bets: Aintree

Friday racing tips

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The north of England stages some competitive jumping action on Friday and our racing tips focus on the action at the home of the Grand National, where I have picked out four to follow on betting sites.

Download The BetMGM App Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (13.15, Aintree)

This looks like being an above average novices’ handicap chase, with representatives from several top yards, including Paul Nicholls (Below The Radar); Dan Skelton (Barnpark), Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies (Leader Crik), Harry Fry (Geezer Rockstar) and Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore (Stride On).

Dixie Mafia won easily at Perth when last seen and, although that race fell apart to some extent, he jumped around nicely and could do no more than win. He’s effectively going up in class here so will need to find more but that’s possible.

Geezer Rockstar looks very interesting. He stays well over hurdles and is trying to complete a hat-trick on his chasing debut here. He looks to have got in on a reasonable mark and there’s surely scope for more from him too.

However, the same applies to the Mickey Bowen-trained OFF THE JURY and he gets the vote. Formerly with Alan King, jockey David Maxwell previously went on the record as saying he is talented but frustrating to ride.

Since switching to the Bowens’ yard about a year ago, he’s turned a corner. He didn’t manage to win in five attempts for them last season but did show some improvement. Switched to chasing once the curtain was raised on the current season, he won at Cartmel (2m5f, good) and then Worcester (2m4f, good), the latter being a career best.

He’s back up in trip now and, given that his best hurdling effort was at around 3m, he looks sure to have more to come over fences off an official mark of 129. Aside from his debut Irish point win, he hasn’t since won when fresh but he’s run some good races in defeat, so I’m not overly concerned by that. In an open contest, I’d take an each-way price for some insurance on horse racing betting sites if he’s 5/1 or bigger, but I’d still back him to a 1pt win if shorter than that.

Aintree tip: Off The Jury – 1pt win @ 5/1 (Ladbrokes)

Read Meg Nicholls’ Blog At betmgm.co.uk Handicap Hurdle (13.50, Aintree)

While Lyssenko did the job very nicely, by all accounts, with his three wins in France, we have really no idea of the worth of that form. It hasn’t stopped his owner paying €210,000 for him and he joins the champion trainer with obvious promise on his CV.

However, in terms of value betting, he can go and win at the forecast 3/1 as far as I am concerned and I’d like to take him on first time out over hurdles in Britain. In opposition, we have the Scottish Champion Hurdle winner Dedicated Hero, representing the Sandy Thomson team that’s seen a recent upturn in fortunes.

There’s also one of those he beat at Ayr in the spring, ALL IN YOU lining up for the Warren Greatrex stable. The latter is now 8lb better off with his Scottish conqueror for a 6½L margin and therefore must have a decent chance of reversing those placings.

He’s also fit from the Flat, while the forecast good to soft ground won’t be a problem for him. Clearly, he’s more exposed than the Skelton inmate, but he’s also more battle-hardened and has the benefit of the champion jockey in the plate. He’s a small-stakes win play at the prices on some sports betting apps, including Ladbrokes.

Aintree tip 2: All In You – 1pt win @ 3/1 (Ladbrokes)

BetMGM Haldon Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Grade 2) (15.00, Aintree)

I gave JPR One a good shout out before his win at Cheltenham the other week and it was, therefore, through gritted teeth that I applauded his win. He’s been a cracking representative for the Tizzards and is one of those horses who’s well up to this level but put him in a Grade 1 and he comes up just short.

There’s no embarrassment in that and he turns up again here, so we must assume he’s come out of that recent race well, as Joe Tizzard had said that he was going to aim him at the Schloer Chase next.

He may well be capable of another win but I think this flatter track might suit MIRABAD just a little better and I’m siding with the Skelton-inmate this time. He has already won in Grade 1 company, scoring over C&D in the Maghull Novices’ Chase in the spring (good to soft), when he beat Salvator Mundi by 6L.

He unseated too early next time at Sandown to see how he’d have fared in the Grade 1 Celebration Chase but I think the signs are there that connections wanted him cherry ripe for this race, having given him a recent spin over hurdles at Carlisle, when he ran creditably to finish a close second.

Rubaud is not written off but I think the winner should come from the aforementioned pair and I’m going with Mirabad.

Aintree tip 3: Mirabad – 1pt win @ 11/8 (Ladbrokes)

BetMGM Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (15.35, Aintree)

This looks a cracking stayers’ handicap chase and the line-up includes 2026 Scottish National winner, Kap Vert, Rowland Meyrick scorer Konfusion and also Here Comes Georgie, another likely Dan Skelton-trained favourite but I’m going to take them all on with one at big odds.

MARBLE SANDS arrives fit from a recent Flat race outing over the stiff 2m2f at Pontefract. That should have blown off a few cobwebs, as he hadn’t been seen since falling in the Grand National in April.

He won a stamina-sapping Cheltenham handicap chase last November and had preceded that with a good effort on the Flat, so perhaps it’s a pattern that trainer David Killahena and Graeme McPherson are hoping will repeat.

He won’t mind the ground, and we know he’ll stay, so now could be the time to catch him, and I think if he can get close to his best then he looks to be each-way value, and if things drop right, he won’t be far off winning it.

Aintree tip 4: Marble Sands – 1pt each-way @ 18/1 (bet365)

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