Racing tips: Team England target the North Wales National with No Cruise Yet

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After what has felt like an eternity it was nice to have a winner (two) on Thursday. I feel like we should've had three winners on the day but Charlie Deutsch chucked it on Dentley De Mee, so two will have to do.

Bangor-on-Dee 2:20 – No Cruise Yet 11/2  (1pt ew 4 places)

Some of you might remember NO CRUISE YET who has been tipped up twice his season, on both of his runs for this campaign. After he finished as runner-up on seasonal reappearance due to a lack of fitness, I mentioned we'll get our money back on him the next time he runs. Sure enough, we did when he went to Haydock and won in game fashion to fend off a decent horse from the Twiston-Davies yard.

The handicapper hasn't gone mad on his last run and has only put him up by 3 lbs in the handicap, so in my eyes, he is still weighted to go in again. Today's race is different as it's a drop in class, meaning he will be carrying a fair chunk of weight, but he is a horse who has all the attributes you'd like to win a National race like this. He jumps, he stays and he travels, there's not much that he can't do off his current handicap mark. The ground is drying up a bit and that might go against him slightly, so that's why I've opted for an EW bet instead of going for the win on the nose.

This is obviously a competitive race, but I believe in this horse and he if jumps well he has to be bang there at the finish.

Kempton 2:00 – Reilly 13/2 (0.5pt ew)

From one horse carrying a decent chunk of weight to another. REILLY will have a tough ask on his hands to win this race off 12st but I think his price in the market is far too big based on his last run.

I thought his run the race before last time out at Warwick was probably the best piece of form in the race. He pushed an in-form horse all the way to the line and that was on his chase debut, so you can't fault him for that effort. The form of the race looks to be working out nicely. The winner didn't follow that win up, but that came in the Classic Chase at Warwick (class 1) where he wasn't disgraced back in 4th/13, and to be honest, I think he can win off his current mark of 126. The Warwick race where Reilly did finish second has produced winners from the 3rd and 4th, and even Fairlawn Flyer who was pulled up in that race has gone on to win since.

I understand why punters are latching onto the horses who arrive with recent wins under their belt, but I think Harry Skelton's horse will love this track and will make a much better chaser than a hurdler in time.

Kempton 3:00 – Killer Kane 4/1 (1pt win)

This is a strange race as you have some unexposed horses who have looked okay over fences so far, you have a returning horse in the shape of Dog Of War who will be of interest if the money arrives and you have horses who have dropped down in the handicap like KILLER KANE.

For me, Killer Kane has to be the one they have to beat. He is a previous C&D winner who has dropped down to his last winning handicap mark of 126. He managed to win a Class 1 Listed handicap chase off this current handicap mark last season, so that goes to show what he can do when the handicapper gives him a chance, and this race looks much easier than when he won that race.

From his win at Kempton previously he did beat Valsheda, there is a small swing in the weights in the favour of the latter-named horse but Valsheda seems a bit of a boat who probably needs further, and I can't see a switch in the form line. In that Listed race Killer Kane won, he beat Dorking Lad by 12L, whilst only receiving 1lb, today then will run off level weights and though Dorking Lad won recently, he'll find this much tougher and at the prices I feel like Killer Kane is being disrespected.

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