Weekend rain could have say in Cheltenham ground on day one

Keith Hamer
March 4, 2020 7:00 pm

Possibility of temperatures into double figures by Monday.

Forecast rain on Saturday night could shape what ground the Cheltenham Festival starts on when it gets under way on Tuesday.

Speaking on Wednesday evening, clerk of the course Simon Claisse reported conditions unchanged at soft on the chase and hurdle track, and softer on the cross-country course.

Claisse said: “We had four and a half millimetres this afternoon, so remain soft on both chase and hurdle tracks, and soft, heavy in places on the cross country.

“The outlook now is for a dry time through until Saturday into Sunday, and I’m thinking we may end up with with good to soft in places before the next rain goes through on Saturday night.

“Temperatures are slowly rising. It looks like we may hit double figures by Monday.

“What the ground will be like for the first day all hinges on what happens on Saturday night. Either soft, good to soft, or good to soft, soft.”

Meanwhile, Betfair’s market on whether the Festival will go ahead on March 10 has continued to attract plenty of attention.

A figure of £2.1 million had been traded as of 3.40pm on Wednesday, with ‘yes’ standing at 1.40 (2-5) and ‘no’ at 3.35 (12-5).

The latest betting moves came on a day in which the UK saw its biggest day-on-day increase in coronavirus cases, with 85 people now confirmed to have the virus.