Cheltenham wait on watering plans

Conditions at Cheltenham are reported to be perfect ahead of the four-day Festival that starts on Tuesday.

Officials stopped watering both Old and New Courses on Thursday but it is possible some more could be put on the New course which is used on the last two days of the meeting as not much rain is forecast.

The going is described as good to soft, good in places on both Old and New Courses and good, good to soft in places on the cross-country course.

"The course is in good nick," said clerk of the course Simon Claisse.

"The outlook remains pretty well dry now until Wednesday when we might get the odd shower amounting to one millimetre and some light but steadier rain on Thursday and Friday.

"We could get between five and seven millimetres over those two days and any rain that comes after racing on Friday is not going to help us obviously.

"It might just be a watching brief on the New course.

"We stopped watering on Thursday. We haven't completely ruled out putting a little extra irrigation on the New course yet. We haven't done that today. We will have a look at the forecast tomorrow.

"The options are we go tomorrow, we leave it and then do it overnight but that's our least favoured option.

"But it just may be the way course conditions are and the forecast is that we end up having to do that."

It has been a busy morning at the Prestbury Park track with members of the Irish party arriving including leading Champion Hurdle fancy Solwhit, who is set to take his chance on Tuesday after overcoming a late scare.

"Solwhit has arrived, it's great to see him in the race," Claisse added.

"We've had several connections, including Alan King, Paul Webber and Robert Waley-Cohen, doing their Sunday walk round the course and they all report it to be in great nick."