Saturday tips: all aboard the Express in Welsh National

Della Casa Lunga scooped this prize last year, beating Holly Hartingto just over a length. She meets the runner-up on 3lb better terms, so is clearly weighted to confirm the form. 

Clive Boultbee-Brooks' mare carries top weight this time but is racing off the same mark as. 12 months ago and I fancy the handicapper may have been generous as it looks very much as though she has been prepared this season with this race in mind. 

She disappointed in a couple of runs after her win last year and clearly needed the run when she reappeared at Bangor but a return to this course and distance seemed to perk her up last time out ,when she finished an eye-catching third in a Listed event. 

She finished with plenty left in the tank that day and is likely to be be spot on for this. 

The good to soft ground on the cards for this year’s Welsh National has probably meant Sam Thomas and Dai Walters have fewer runners in the race than they had planned but they still have decent prospects with Jubilee Express, who was runner-up last year and has been prepared with this in mind. 

The 4lb penalty he got for winning over 3m here this month has got him into the weights and carrying a lowly 10st 3lb will be more than manageable. 

The going was similar when he won here last time and he will clearly better suited by conditions than some of the sluggards that have been declared.  

This promising five-year-old may be the one in a race with several may well have plateaued. 

He made his chase debut just two weeks ago and was impressive, particularly with his jumping and trounced some more experienced rivals in a 0-120 at Taunton. 

This is a higher-grade handicap and he has been raised 8lb for that win, but that certainly would not have stopped him winning last time out and the test at Kempton is not entirely dissimilar to Taunton. 

The way he jumped suggests he will be making up into a very interesting handicapper and the Johnson/White partnership might have a good one on their hands.