Cheltenham ‘got away lightly’ as storms wreck havoc
A restaurant in the tented village that runs along the home straight bore the brunt of the storm that hit the track overnight.
“We had gusts up to 48mph or so causing a little bit of damage to temporary structures in the tented village which are being assessed,” said clerk of the course Simon Claisse.
“It looks as though one of them, a restaurant, might be out of commission. Considering the forecast we had, we think we have got away lightly.
“We had 10 millimetres of rain, most of which came between three and six o’clock this morning, and it is currently dry but cloudy.
“The winds have eased, but they may pick up again at tea-time. They should then subside tonight and it should be much quieter tomorrow.”
Claisse reported a slight ease in the ground thanks to the overnight rain.
“The ground has obviously eased a little with the rainfall,” he added.
“I’ve given it as good to soft, good in paces for tomorrow on the Old Course, good on the cross-country and good to soft, good in places on the New Course for Thursday and Friday.”
