Cheltenham to cover areas of track with temperatures to drop to -2 overnight

Cheltenham will cover vulnerable areas of the track to combat a frost expected in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Clerk of the course Jon Pullin said he intends to protect the take-offs and landings around the obstacles on the Old course, although he does not expect the going, described as soft on Tuesday, to change for the second day of the festival.

It stayed dry throughout racing on Tuesday, the opening day of four at Cheltenham, and rain is only expected to arrive towards the end of Wednesday's card.

Pullin said: "I'm very happy with the way things have gone, it's been a nice, drying day. The forecasts are still suggesting we're going to dip below 0C for a period tonight, possibly down to -2C, so we'll probably cover take-offs and landings.

"The forecast is to stay dry for much of Wednesday and this band of rain coming in might just catch the last race or two. It won't be too much volume-wise, possibly 2-4mm. Thursday and Friday both look showery."

Jockeys on Tuesday described the ground as soft, dead and tacky and the prospect of frost could make conditions even more testing on Wednesday. All the winning times on Tuesday were slower than Racing Post standard times, but were particularly far off standard in the hurdles races.

Asked of a potential going change, Pullin said: "We'll assess it in the morning when we've had whatever comes overnight. It will have been drying and if we stay dry overnight then it might walk better, but still be sticky and tacky."

Racing on Thursday and Friday will be on the New course, where the going is soft, good to soft in places.

The official attendance at Cheltenham on Tuesday was 60,284, comfortably below the new cap of 68,500. Last year's opening day drew an attendance of 68,567. 

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