Lots discussed this week and it's an hour and 10 minutes of your life you'll never get back but well worth a listen. Sean and Ron discuss 12 races across Friday and Saturday and mention the dodgepot acca...and believe me, there are dodgepots all over the place on Saturday!

Below is the text of Ron's side of those race discussions, with his and Sean's selections.

PODCAST 27/01/22

FRIDAY

DONCASTER 1-50

Only three previous running’s of this race and impossible for me to find a selection using the runes, because I have no runes!

I’m not seeing a bet here, not least because we have Irish challengers, an Ian Williams trained hurdling debutante, who is fit off the flat having run second at Southwell recently and the trainer in form, running a 46% RTF%age figure, with three winners from his last 13 runners.

However, if there is a trainer in better form with hurdlers this season than Milton Harris, I’d be surprised. He’s running around a 24% strike rate with them this term and that’s stunning. He trains previous course and distance winner GALAH in this and is running a superb 62% RTF%age figure right now.

He’s brilliantly named being by Australia went off the even money favourite to win his race here on December 29th and beat TIKI FIRE, who takes him on again tomorrow, easily enough.

I expect him to run as well as any of the trainer’s runners have been and if I had to pick one to punt, it would be him. I’ll say 20/80 GALAH, for Podcast purposes….but I personally will not be betting.

RON – GALAH – 20/80

SEAN – LA RENOMMEE – E.W. or 20/80

HUNTINGDON 2-35

Good little race this. Only five going to post which is a pity and it was the two that do not turn up that interested me most, EMMAS JOY, because that one is trained by Skelton and he has won this with the two he has sent for it, and QUICK WAVE, trained by Venetia Williams, who would have probably gone off favourite being rated just 1lb lower than VIENNA COURT, who will now probably go off favourite, and was set to receive 4lb. Look out for that one running in the Grand National Trial at Haydock on the 19th of February.

On official ratings this now looks a formality for VIENNA COURT, who runs off level weights with MASKADA, and is rated 8lb superior to that horse. She is rated 10lb superior to PINK LEGEND and yet only gives that mare 2lb, and both GALICE MACALO and SCHIAPARANNIE receive 4lb but are rated 15lb and 21lb inferior, respectively.

I cannot see past the Twiston-Davies runner….VIENNA COURT should win this.

RON – VIENNA COURT – STRAIGHT WIN

SEAN – VIENNA COURT – STRAIGHT WIN

SATURDAY

12.45pm Cheltenham

Just eight going to post for this Triumph Hurdle Trial and with seven of the last nine winners in the front two on the tissue, I think it’s fair to create a two horse shortlist:

ICEO

PIED PIPER

I cannot help thinking that PIED PIPER turns up here to give trainer Gordon Elliott a “sighter”. He trains the current short priced favourite FIL DOR, who is just 5/2 to win the Triumph in March.

If his horse dots up here, FIL DOR will probably shorten for that race.

Ok, so one of this pair above wins this but I doubt very much it will go on to win at Cheltenham. DEFI DU SEUIL was the last to do so in 2017 and before that nowt so it’s a trial in name only.

ICEO has two soft ground wins to his name but we are looking at good ground on Saturday. Having said that, PIED PIPER’s only win over hurdles to date came on heavy and, his last win for Gosden, on the flat, came on heavy, too.

I do not know which of these two will win and so, whilst accepting one will, I’m going to suggest a place only punt INTERNE DE SIVOLA.

This horse bolted up over course and distance on good to soft ground last time out and his trainer, Nick Williams, is 2-4 with runners in this. He actually took it last year with GALAHAD QUEST and in 2014 with that decent one, LE ROCHER.

INTERNE DE SIVOLA place only, for me.

RON – INTERNE DE S