Cheltenham Weather Watch

Claise is looking for his watering as we speak

BBC monthly forecast saying all the computer models suggest a strong probability of dry but cold weather for the next few weeks (due to jetstream going north to south instead of east to west?).

Mudlarks need not apply.

Great news. No excuses now for the majority.

bbc say possibility of snow for cheltenhm this Friday

I can't remember the last proper rain we had.The odd shower here and there but nothing serious.

Living in the West of Scotland that's incredible. It's been one of our wettest winters on record and today was dry after 3 days almost solid rain. Forecast is decent enough will start to become more reliable in the next 10 days or so.

I seen that same forecast, says it's going to possibly bring weather in from eastern Europe and Russia, we all know what that means snow!

First fez in record rescheduled cos of three feet of snow??

The Thinker won the Gold Cup after the race was delayed by a snowstorm. It's only 3 years since they covered the whole course to protect it from frost. It was Baltic up to the start of the meeting and not a lot warmer afterwards!

Where about are you living chief?

Guiding Power area mate.

Cheltenham was rather heavy at the end of January meeting.
Doubt it's much different at the moment with all the rain that's been around.
Probably be down to what the weather is the week before the festival.

It has been such a wet winter round here, I'd be surprised if the ground dries out too much. Water table is very high and any meaningful rain will quickly have an effect. Unless we start seeing some warm sunshine, there is very little chance that Mr Claisse will be getting his watering can out. We need to remember though that soft ground at Cheltenham in March on beautifully manicured turf represents a much quicker surface than many of the horses will have encountered over the past few months.

Very scientific explanation too CCM....friends and neighbours say they can't cut their lawns because the ground is too feckin wet!

It'll dry up as it always does, will be good clean decent jumping ground





under the fecking snow

Renneti, theres your value MR E ;)

if your thinking about when it was delayed due to snow and some of the course was white, it was the thinkers win in 87

.

https://audioboom.com/boos/4222683-simon-claisse-on-the-latest-going-three-weeks-before-thefestival

No need for guesswork boys. It's drying out!

https://soundcloud.com/sportinglife/simon-claisse-24th-feb

Listen to the boss. Going be until well into next week and nothing bad (unnecessarily wet or cold) due up to the Festival.

Second biggest certainty - punters know this but will still whinge

THE going description at Cheltenham now includes the words good in places on all three courses after an exceptionally wet winter finally gave way to a dry fortnight.

However, the forecast is unsettled and clerk of the course Simon Claisse is reluctant to speculate upon how it might ride when the festival begins on March 15.

Confirming that the track had dried out considerably since trials day on January 30 took place on ground officially described as heavy, Claisse said: "We've not had significant rainfall for two weeks and, as of this morning, it is now good to soft, good in places on both the New Course and the Old Course, as well as on the cross-country course.

"All three tracks are pretty similar in condition, with the good patches on the turn away from the stands, at the end of the back straight as they climb the hill, then turning down the hill on both the Old and the New courses, and a little bit in the home straight too.

"Rain is forecast for Monday into Tuesday, perhaps 5mm or 6mm, and then a similar amount towards the end of the week, and then it is expected to remain unsettled."

Claisse maintains a hotline to former BBC weatherman John Kettley, who predicts that Cheltenham will see "a bit of everything" over the next two and a half weeks.

Kettley confirmed the likelihood of rain tonight and added: "I've told Simon that there is enough rain around to keep it as he likes it - not too quick. There will be plenty of chilly days too.

"Tuesday is milder, but on the whole temperatures over the next two and a half weeks are probably about average, or a little below, and a bit colder than we would like it for festival week, with possibly a bit of snow on the hilltops."

The festival has begun on going officially described as good to soft, good in places for the last two years. It was soft, good to soft in places, on the opening day in 2013, and good, good to soft in places the year before that.