What is the going?

Claisse was on one of the Irish preview nights the other day by phone and he said he was expecting heavy rain today and tomorrow and every course would be soft before drying out later in the week as its expected to be warmer and drier by Thursday.

Current conditions are:
Old course & X-Country - good to soft
New course - good to soft, soft in places

Be interesting to see whether we get the anticipated rain over the next couple of days. I'm guessing if we don't he might have to get his hose out by the weekend...

Turftrax maps are finally up!!

http://www.turftrax.co.uk/going_maps.html

These are really good and updated a couple of times a day. Good to soft largely, but the home straight is soft on the new course.

Does anyone happen to have the going stick readings that were given for the last few years' Festivals?

tom- there's an archive on the turftrax website

http://www.turftrax.co.uk/going_map_archive.html

Thank you!

Due to be a lot warmer this weekend and start of next week. Providing we are lucky with the rain in the next few days, think good, good to soft is likely.

Thanks all - given the going stick readings it seems quite a fragile good to soft which could revert to soft with any decent rain ...as opposed to the usual hose pipes on meaning it is good to soft reverting to good after the third race .

Think it's largely because we are having the perfect year for the course in terms of what they want yo produce. Been so much rain there is no need for watering, yet due to warm up a bit and dry out just nicely. Think we will end up with absolutely perfect good to soft going this year. And natural good to soft with no watering.

Going to be 16 - 17 degrees at the weekend with the real-feel a little warmer then a pleasant 13 / 14 degrees for the festival week. Like CCM says could be perfect ground and nice for us race-goers. Bloody marvellous

Turftrax were there yesterday and we're now seeing GOOD ground.

http://maps.turftrax.co.uk/latestgoingreport.asp?course=Cheltenham

Weather is holding up as planned, some rain tonight and tomorrow and that's it.

"Weather Forecast
Rain Tues/Weds (10 to 14 mm), then mostly dry and getting warmer."

Torrential rain- as much as it drains well I can not see the first day being anything other than soft.  Will be like Chepstow at the moment ...bottomless but allegedly dry from midday until Tuesday !Roll up the hose Simon!

Lots and lots of rain today. The going will more than likely be 'soft' or possibly 'heavy' by the end of the day.

1.05 inches already overnight

Going is no officially "Soft".

Now "Soft"

http://maps.turftrax.co.uk/latestgoingreport.asp?course=Cheltenham

Yeap, confirmed as now soft and still raining.

Looks like will be starting on Good to Soft, as not a lot more rain expected before start and during festival.