White smoke for Cheltenham, as track declared fit to race

The second day of the Cheltenham Festival will go ahead as planned after the track was declared fit to race.

Clerk of the course Simon Claisse had planned to inspect the track at 8am but was able to give the meeting the go-ahead much earlier than planned.

Temperatures are reported to have fallen to -5C overnight but a warmer day than of late is expected.

Claisse and his team covered the track after racing finished on Tuesday and he reports the ground to be frost-free this morning.

He said: “I had a look at the track and there is no sign of frost under the covers. It’s a bright morning, the sun is out and you can feel the difference from yesterday.

“Today is forecast to be mostly dry with a few showers and a temperature of 5C.”

The ground is officially described as good to soft, soft in places.