Soft option possible at the Festival

The possibility of soft ground at the Cheltenham Festival is still on the agenda as more rain hit Gloucestershire overnight.

Not since the year Desert Orchid’s famous Gold Cup success in 1989 have conditions at the showpiece meeting been described as heavy, but clerk of the course Simon Claisse refused to rule out the possibility of testing ground in two weeks’ time

“We are dry here at the moment, we had five or six millimetres overnight, which the course has taken pretty well actually,” Claisse told At The Races.

“It’s quite breezy, overcast and we expecting a little bit more light rain this afternoon.

“If we were racing today the ground would be soft, – heavy in places. There are heavy bits coming down the hill on the New Course which is used on Thursday and Friday, and also on the cross-country course.

“The last time we had heavy ground at the Festival was 1989. We are due for a mild week this week, but there is a strong sign of some high pressure building for next week and we may well start the Festival with some nice warm, spring-like weather.”

William Hill and Blue Square are both running books on what the ground will be on the first day.

Official going on the first day of the Festival:

William Hill bet: 8-11 Good To Soft, 11-4 Soft, 11-4 Good, 14-1 Heavy, 100-1 Good To Firm.

Blue Square bet: 10-11 Good to soft, 7-4 Soft, 5-1 Good, 7-1 Heavy, 100-1 Good to firm, 500-1 Firm.