King Has Royal Team Primed For Aintree Alan King is readying a strong team for Aintree´s upcoming three-day meeting. Among those the Barbury Castle trainer is looking forward to is Blazing Bailey, who might sport a pair of blinkers when he runs in the John Smith´s Great Float Social Club Liverpool Hurdle on Thursday. The six-year-old finished behind Inglis Drever for the third time this season at Cheltenham and could again clash with Howard Johnson´s star. King said: "He ran another sound race in the World Hurdle, finishing fourth, as he made up a lot of ground. "He got a bit outpaced at the top of the hill but he stayed on extremely well, and there is just a chance we will be putting a pair of blinkers on him just to sharpen him up. "He schooled in them this morning so he might run in the headgear - it seemed to sharpen him. "He´s thoroughly genuine but he´s just getting a bit lazier the older he gets and they just might help him." Group Captain could bid to regain the winning thread in the Citroen C5 Mersey Novices´ Hurdle after finishing fifth in the Ballymore Properties Novices´ Hurdle last time. "He´s come out of it well but I was a bit disappointed with him at Cheltenham as I thought he had a great chance," King told At The Races. "He never really travelled and he did well to finish as close as he did, as he was off the bridle most of the way. "He schooled in blinkers this morning too." Many people earmarked Franchoek as a Cheltenham banker but he found Celestial Halo too hot to handle in the Triumph Hurdle. The JP McManus-owned gelding has three options, including the John Smith´s 250th Anniversary 4-Y-O Novices´ Hurdle. However, McManus also has the Nicky Henderson-trained Binocular in the Grade One. "He´s in three races, in the 4-Y-O, the two-miler and the two-and-a-half-miler," King added. "I am due to speak to Frank Berry (racing manager to McManus) about him tomorrow and I´ll see where he wants to run him. "I think Binocular runs in the 4-Y-O race so I´ll let him decide." (C) PA Sport
