Horse racing tips: Thursday picks from Dave Nevison

Our pundit and resident website tipster Dave Nevison likes a jumper at Stratford and two on the all-weather at Chelmsford among his selections for Thursday. Enjoy further action from Thurles live on Racing TV.

The rain looks set to make it a miserable Thursday for a lot of us, but hopefully there will be something to cheer home with these three this afternoon. Best of luck.

3.30 Stratford: Striking Out

He looks absolutely thrown in and, if he decides to put it all in and get his jumping right, he will win this easily.

Striking Out came very close to winning on his steeplechase debut when second at Ludlow off a mark 105 back in January and it is fair to say he has largely disappointed since. However, after a near three-month break he returned recently in a 0-100 handicap and was thought good enough to be backed into 9-4 favourite despite showing little on his previous run and the gamble was almost landed as well, so clearly something had been sorted in the interim.

He might well be better going left-handed here as he continually wanted to go right when asked for any effort at Ludlow and he might additionally benefit for David Noonan, his regular rider, being back in the saddle for this assignment.

6.30 Chelmsford: Touchwood

I think all looks good for Touchwood to follow up now he has hit winning form.

He runs under a penalty here but is still going to be well in given the marks he was running off when he joined Ruth Carr back in the spring and, after gradually regaining form of late, he really found his stride last time and won by a very comfortable 2 ½ lengths at Lingfield.

Touchwood is best at seven furlongs and he has a decent draw here next to the likely pacesetter, while David Probert taking over now is no disadvantage in my view.

7.30 Chelmsford: Lilkian

Lilkian is another who looks to have things in his favour to follow up a recent Lingfield victory and is worth risking to defy a penalty.

Liam Wright, who claims 7lbs, was on board for the latest win and he keeps the ride here so the weight burden will obviously be reduced from the 10st 1lb Lilkian is set to carry, but the six-year-old would have won last time even off this mark so he only has to reproduce that effort to go in again.

He has backed up wins after just a five-day break in the past so I have no worries about a quick turnaround.