We'll be watching it in the Kemble, CCM.

Must be Prithvi charwell? Top of our list every year and as good an Indian as you could find imo. So good we went twice last year! There is another one that some say is better now, but went during the Paddy Power meet and didn't think it was as good as Prithvi. Can't remember the name.

East India it is. And L'Artisan is the French one.

ccc lartisian very nice

best indian food by a mile not for the poncy is shezan

regards

ronnie

That Danhpnes was very average last year, it's ranked 9th. Monty's used to be excellent and was a regular but last couple of times it's been style over substance.

Just seen Prithvi is about twice the price of East India Cafe. Maybe save it for next year if Don Poli wins

Cheltenham clerk of the course Simon Claisse expects the ground to dry out slightly ahead of the start of the four-day Festival on Tuesday.

The going was described as soft on Thursday morning after rain on Wednesday, but the forecast for the next week is a dry one, with temperatures set to get into double figures by the weekend.

The horses will be racing on fresh ground and Claisse believes the going will be a blend of good to soft and soft by Tuesday.

"We had about half the amount of rainfall they experienced at Stratford on Wednesday," he told At The Races.

"We've come through that deluge in pretty good shape. We would have raced (on Wednesday) with a few fences being taken out.

"The ground has taken it well. Having got to good to soft, good in places, we are now back to soft.

"I can't find a forecast here at the moment that has got any rain in it at all between now and Friday week.

"They say on Gold Cup day we might get a couple of millimetres, but it's predominantly dry with the temperatures beginning to get up into double figures.

"The temperatures are creeping up, but they are only getting up slowly. We might get into double figures at the weekend.

"My hunch would be we'll commence the meeting on a mixture of good to soft and soft, but quite which one is the predominate going, I wouldn't like to hazard a guess at this stage. "

So basically, if that all pans out, it should be pretty much the perfect festival - fair, unwatered ground throughout and lovely weather for us racegoers.

Bring it!

No change in the going at Cheltenham, where the going is soft. "There is no change going wise," said Simon Claisse. "It continued to be dry over the last 24 hours but we remain soft all round. The outlook remains dry and getting warmer.

Going stick currently 5.4 Soft yet it was 6.4 on the morning of  Jan trials day heavy and inspection due to waterlogging.

Have the penetrometer readings been altered?

I thought anything in the range of 5-7 was classed as varying shades of good to soft? I think it was 6.9 for the beginning of the festival last year and jockeys suggested it rode on the dead side of good initially.

As always, we won't have any clear sense of the going until we see the time of the first race and get feedback from the jockeys irrespective of whatever the smug, self important Simon Claisse has to say on the matter beforehand. No Clerk of the Course ever changes the official going description with the frequency that Simple Simon has to once racing gets underway.

As previous posters have already pointed out, if the going stick reading on Festival Trials Day was 6.4 and the going was officially "Heavy", how can a going stick reading in the range of 5.4 - 5.7 be only "Soft"?

wellchief

The Going Stick uses a measurement scale ranging from 1 to 15: the lower the number, the softer or slower the ground; the higher the number, the firmer or faster the ground.

I knew I'd seen something giving various readings. I remember making a note of it equating to what I'd said in my previous post. For once the issue doesn't appear to have been with Claisse for that meeting. There's no way that a reading of 6.4 can equate to heavy ground and yet the times suggested it was very testing. Some further enquiry into the efficacy of the penetrometer may be in order.

Cheltenham's ground remains 'Soft' just three days ahead of the start of the 2016 Festival on Tuesday.

Simon Claisse, Clerk of the Course at Cheltenham and Director of Racing at Jockey Club Racecourse South West, reported on Saturday afternoon that the going remains Soft but the ground continues to dry.

He said: "We have had three dry days. We are 'Soft' on all courses.

"The ground is slowly drying out and I would anticipate some Good to Soft in places in the going descriptions from tomorrow.

"The forecast remains for dry weather, with temperatures around 8-9C. There could be some light showers towards the end of the next week, and maybe a millimetre or two of rain on Friday, but nothing significant.

"We are very happy with the way the tracks look - there is so much fresh ground out there with 90 per cent not raced on since last year."

So I wonder what that would do to the ground if that bit of rain forecast turns up on Friday??

The good thing about the potential threat of a shower or two will ensure that he doesnt have to start watering.

A stunning spring day.

Wispy cirrus cloud complementing an azure sky.

Warm - eleven degrees.

This trampoline effect has been in evidence at a couple of festivals that I can remember and it is both very safe ground and leads to exceptionally fast times but as mentioned the ground turns very soft very quickly with relatively small amounts of rain. I certainly won't be taking any firm views about the racing later in the week. It'll definitely be a day by day adventure and if Claisse even thinks about sprinkling some water on the course at any stage I won't be getting involved at all.

it was so warm on course i had to take off my coat. i was last back early feb and the ground is completely different

very warm today

Two more days like today don't reckon there'll be any soft. Could be good in places by Wednesday