Steve Ryder shares two free racing tips for the final day of the Aintree Festival.
1:55 Aintree
Tip 1: Ballyfad - 1pt
Best odds of 3/1 at Unibet while publishing.
Gordon Elliott has won the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle for the previous four seasons with Honesty Policy, Brighterdaysahead, Irish Point and Three Stripe Life and he looks to hold strong claims of extending that winning sequence to five with BALLYFAD (best priced at 3/1). The five-year-old progressed quickly from a PTP win to winning two bumpers in November, a maiden hurdle by 9 ½ lengths at Leopardstown on Boxing Day before finishing a short head 2nd behind Talk The Talk in the Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival when Cheltenham Festival winner King Rasko Grey was narrowly behind in third.
Ballyfad could only finish 10th at the Cheltenham Festival but he was kicked at the start that day and it was at a time that the stable were struggling for winners. They had two winners on the opening day of Aintree in Grade 1 company and hopefully Ballyfad can do the same.
BresBet
2:30 Aintree
Tip 2: Cruz Control - 0.5pt EW
Best odds of 8/1 at William Hill while publishing.
Sans Bruit ran well to finish 3rd in his bid to win the same race at this meeting for a third year in a row and CRUZ CONTROL (best priced at 15/2) should do the same in this race. The Tom Lacey trained nine-year-old won this contest in 2024 off a mark of 136 before winning it by five lengths last season off a mark of 139.
Cruz Control has had a similar preparation to last season with two disappointing efforts prior to Christmas but he now returns from a 120 day break off an attractive mark of 140 (only 1lb higher than last year). He looks sure to be involved in the finish with up to five places available.
