Going good to soft with a dry start to March forecast

Ground conditions at Cheltenham were on Wednesday described as good to soft, with next month’s showpiece meeting less than three weeks away.

Rain is forecast on Thursday and at the beginning of next week, after which the picture becomes more settled, with generally dry weather expected.

Clerk of the course Simon Claisse said on Wednesday afternoon: “We had some rain today and the going is predominantly good to soft. Looking at the forecast there's nothing particularly cold in terms of temperatures, which is good news. I'm very happy with the condition of the track.”

Weather presenter Lucy Verasamy, part of the ITV Racing team which will cover the festival, said: “The rain isn't hanging around on Thursday – it's sweeping through at quite a pace on strong winds. Then there's a bit of a lull before hefty hit-and-miss downpours are expected on Monday.

“Generally, rain will be on and off next week, and that’s the theme for the rest of this month. Early indications suggest a slightly drier than average start to March, though the jury's still out on that - it’s 60-40 at this stage."