On this week's What A Shout, host Dave Orton is joined by trainer Ben Pauling, Racing Post tipster Graeme Rodway and bet365's Pat Cooney, as they preview the racing from Lingfield and Chelmsford City on Saturday.
Unfortunately, Ascot’s Long Walk Hurdle has been abandoned due to a frozen track, but there is still plenty of racing taking place on the all-weather tracks at Lingfield and Chelmsford.
We've picked out some highlights from this week's edition of What A Shout in association with bet365.
The feature race of the afternoon at Lingfield is the Quebec Stakes, a Listed contest over 1m2f. Algiers is the highest-rated runner in the field with a mark of 110. Simon and Ed Crisford’s gelding finished second of 11 runners in the Churchill Stakes over this C&D last month, where he was beaten by a short head.
Rodway questioned the riding tactics on the son of Shamardal in that Listed race on this all-weather surface. He believes the 6/5 favourite can go one place better on this latest assignment.
He said: "I don’t think he was given a great ride last time out. Robert Havlin went a little too soon and then he ended up on the inside rail, which is never the place to be. The times suggest it was a solid run event.
"Algiers has the best form on offer here so I can understand the price he is. There were some good horses behind him last time. I just think he needs to be held on for a little longer on this occasion and I think, if they do that, he will win here."
The opening race on terrestrial television on Saturday is the 1.15pm at Lingfield. It is a handicap contest over the sprint distance of 5f.
Yimou is the 7/2 favourite for trainer Dean Ivory and jockey Cieren Fallon. Rodway likes his chances of recording his first success of the year.
He said: “Yimou has been handed a nice draw in stall two and I do think that’s important at Lingfield, especially in sprint races.
“This horse is a regular at Chelmsford. I’ve seen him run a few times there and he has performed well. He was second last time out and I think this might be the race for him to go one place better.
“His official rating is slipping down but his Racing Post rating is climbing up slowly. I just feel there is a career-best lurking, and it could come in this competitive handicap contest.”
Lord Paramount is the odds-on favourite at 4/7 to win the 2.40pm at Chelmsford, a class five handicap over 7f.
Trained by Roger Varian, the son of Ribchester got off the mark at the fourth attempt on his latest outing at Wolverhampton. He now makes his handicap debut off an official rating of 70.
Despite the short price, Rodway is siding with the favourite to add to his account in this race.
He said: "I think this horse just wins. I am not going to overcomplicate things in this race. This is a lightly raced Roger Varian runner that is racing off a mark of 70.
"He has already achieved a Racing Post Rating of 77, so we think he is 7lb ahead of the handicapper at this stage.
"He has only had four runs, so he is open to improvement. He was entitled to win last time at Wolverhampton, but he did it nicely. I know it’s a boring selection given his price, but I just feel this horse will take some stopping."
The Winter Oaks Trial comes at 3.00pm at Lingfield and there is nothing separating Sea Tsarina and Queen Of Ipanema at the top of the betting at 2/1. Rodway believes they are worth taking on with Viola, who is 10/1 to cause an upset.
He said: “I think Viola is a big price in this race. She has some good form at Lingfield. I also remember her run earlier this season where she chased home Strawberri at Goodwood. She was the only one who gave that horse a race that day. I rate the stayers over the summer and that looked like a good race.
“Sea Tsarina obviously has an interesting profile, but we are second-guessing a little bit with her. She is a Sea The Stars filly and trained by William Haggas, however, she was disappointing last time out at Thirsk."