Cheltenham Festival
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Been a shocking winter with Cheltenham having to abandon their last two fixtures and the water table must still be very high.
But it's been a lovely week so far and forecast says it will stay dry and mild for the next 2 weeks.
Given the drainage at Cheltenham if it continues to stay dry in the 5 days before the meeting starts then Claisse may even have to get the hose out.
Going to be plenty of form that will go out of the window.
Can't find any betting on the going market this year.
But it's been a lovely week so far and forecast says it will stay dry and mild for the next 2 weeks.
Given the drainage at Cheltenham if it continues to stay dry in the 5 days before the meeting starts then Claisse may even have to get the hose out.
Going to be plenty of form that will go out of the window.
Can't find any betting on the going market this year.
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I used to think Simon was dodgy but the course is littered with slopes,and the apex of some of the bends is dangerous, the camber of the ground falls away instead of being banked inwards. If he had his way he would rebuild it . As for the going stick him and his staff know exactly where to put it in the designated areas to get the good to soft, the trees on the far side do their jobs. As long as he keeps " heavy " out of the goung he stays !
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*going
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"Banked outwards" I meant to say from the rails.Years ago I went with a groundsman to a seminar and Claisse was the main speaker, he is highly professional and the equipment they use at Cheltenham is top of the range.
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It would be a welcome change to have the festival run on genuine, ie unwatered, good to soft going. I suspect however that Claisse won't be able to resist watering if the current dry spell continues much longer.
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keep the updates coming - this is the most precious thread here right now.
Long range forecast dry - windy - dash of rain Wednesday - then more drying weather... odd showers later. It's a late Fez this year and I would back G-Soft on Tuesday. I'm making some ridiculous ante-post bets on this 'fact'  |
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Ben's battle (the one who gets his hands dirty,can't remember his last name )isnt with the ground or the grass its the unpredictable weather.
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Plumpton had the word firm in their going yesterday so leaving ground unwatered for 2 weeks is a non starter.
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Currently good to soft, soft in places.
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I live 10 minutes from course by car and walk my dog there every weekend so will get on the course this weekend and post back , if the field over the road from me is anything to go by G/S but doubt if it'd need much rain to put soft into the mix No doubt Simon will be chomping at the bit to turn the taps on though as he always has an eye on Fridays going after 3 days racing
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if you spot him with a hosepipe this weekend set your dog on him
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One thing is certain , the authorities ' especially this year ' will want a Festival untarnished by as few fatalities as they are able to prevent .
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very true paulo that old hosepipe will be at the ready
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How much rain did they get today? Some places had a lot, some none.
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Cheltenham clerk of the course Simon Claisse expects the ground at Prestbury Park to be mainly good to soft for the start of the four-day Festival in 13 days’ time.
Claisse’s assessment is the going report will also contain either good or soft in places. “As things currently stand I have a good sense we are going to start with good to soft and ‘something’ in places – whether it is good in places or soft in places – with the normal caveat based on the current forecast,” he told a press conference zoom call. Despite a very wet mid-winter, Claisse is happy with conditions on all three courses – the Old, New and Cross Country. “The track is looking in great nick – and maybe we could be looking for some rain in a week or so’s time, which is ironic in a way,” he said. “All courses are now set up and ready to go and where we want to be with a fortnight before we start racing. “The Old course, which is the one we use on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the Cross Country on the Wednesday, is currently good to soft, soft in places and the New course too for Thursday and Friday is good to soft, soft in places. “It’s where we would like to be with 13 days before we start racing.” The current dry spell has been well-received, after the wettest winter Claisse can recall. “What a relief after a wet winter we’ve had eight dry days, which have helped ground staff out enormously with their preparations,” he went on. “We’ve really had unprecedented rainfall over the winter, and particularly over Christmas, that sadly saw us lose the first of January and again at the end of the month when the course was flooded three times across in less than 24 or 25 days – something I’ve never seen here in 20 years.” As for the forecast – for which Cheltenham have John Kettley as their weather consultant – Claisse said: “It is looking like the dry spell will continue until the early part of next week, so every expectation at the beginning of next week we will be looking at ground as good to soft, good in places. “There is then a spell of rain which would bring us back to where we are at the moment – good to soft, soft. It might flip it to soft, good to soft – but beyond next Wednesday/Thursday it turns slightly cooler again and is looking like being a dry weekend before the Festival. “I’m not going to speculate as to what is going to happen the week of the 15th. At the moment everything is in fine shape. “The ground we use at the Festival is preserved behind rails throughout the season, October to December – so basically what we’re racing on, no horse has set foot on for the best part of 12 months.” |
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bit of rain last night but a drying wind all day will have negated that Paulo makes excellent point after the negative publicity of this week can't afford a list of fatalities at the festival so little chance of it being good
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Weather forecast for today and tomorrow predicts plenty of rain.
Seems strange then that Claisse should decide to water the course yesterday, albeit selectively. If it’s a dry week next week he’ll be watering again whatever the rainfall in the run up to Tuesday. My concern is he’ll succeed in producing dead ground which nobody seems to like. Also, if it does rain next week, it wouldn’t take much to turn the going soft because the water table is so high. |
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Cash where did you read he watered yesterday? No doubt end up another swamp, I can’t remember the last time he produced nice ground
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I hear there is a severe weather warning for next week, a green tsunami is fast approaching
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Harry - I read it on one of the Fat Jockey threads.
https://www.fatjockey.com/forum/fat-jockey-horse-racing-forum/cheltenham-festival-2021/292020-weather-watch-2021/page10 |
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There's no mention of watering in this morning's going report. Mostly good (g-to-s in places), with showers forecast for the next 4 days.
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Unless they are an exception to the rest of the country, they must be expecting at least 8-10 mm in the next 48 hours which will turn it soft but after that it looks dry.
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With the weather forecast being what it is I wouldn't have thought it necessary for Claisse to undertake any pre-Festival watering. Claisse is however a law unto himself who's been in post far too long. The photo on the Fat Jockey website clearly shows the sprinklers in action and was apparently taken yesterday.
Am happy to have him onside when it's touch and go if racing will be allowed to go ahead but his going reports are notoriously unreliable and are altered (after the first race is run) far too frequently than should be the case if they were accurate in the first place. |
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Any daily update will be greatly appreciated. As it is I think it will be fair ground for all.
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You are correct Cash
He has the BHA by the bowlux |
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Impossible - you can see the going map (updated most days) on the Turftrax website.
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I’d be a little suspicious of that cash tbh but thanks anyway
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Thanks 'strontium'.
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Hardly any rain at cheltenham yesterday apparently. Very different story from Wincanton and Fontwell!
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Paul Kealy talking as if it will be something like good on the first day. I doubt it, it is already officially mainly good to soft.
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last thing racing needs is any more negative publicity hosepipe will be out shirley
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Tony Calvin quite rightly taking the piss out of him.
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March 11th and last year we were already halfway through the festival. No rain forecast after Tuesday and it must be fast ground by Gold Cup day. Will suit the likes of Frodon.
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That race wont be run at two and a half mile pace
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Good to soft all over now after 6 mm of overnight rain.
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According to a weather website tomorrow and wednesday about 6mm and 5mm of rain respectively with only a smidgeon in between; thursday and friday dry.
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Currently good to soft, soft in places on all courses after overnight rain.
Makes Claisse’s decision to water selectively earlier in the week all the more surprising. Let’s hope he doesn’t do any more watering over the course of the next week. It clearly doesn’t take much rain to turn the going soft. |
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looking at turftrax Claisse shouldnt have to go anywhere near a hosepipe unless for colonic irrigation purposes
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7mm overnight
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Surely selective watering is designed to even up the going? Without it the thinner areas of soil would be much firmer than the deep ones.
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