'We'll need to irrigate because next week is looking dry' - Cheltenham clerk could begin watering the course on Thursday

Cheltenham clerk of the course Jon Pullin could begin selective watering as early as Thursday as the track continues to dry out under warm spring skies.

The updated going on Wednesday afternoon was good to soft, soft in places, with Pullin reporting that the drying process has begun to accelerate with the absence of morning frost and temperatures in the mid-teens. 

The crucial piece of the jigsaw as to when the groundstaff begin watering is certainty as to how much rain might fall on Friday, with Pullin not expecting much in the way of volume.

Speaking on Wednesday evening, he said: "We’re certainly starting to see it dry a little bit quicker now. We’ve been dry since last Thursday and we’ve had some pretty warm afternoons for the last few days around 13 or 14 degrees.

"The forecast for Thursday is very much the same, another warm day. Then there’s some uncertainty as to how much rain we may see on Friday. Some of the forecasts are showing just a few light showers, 1-2mm. Others are saying we might get a little bit more than that, maybe 3-4mm."

Clerk of the course Jon Pullin walking the course at CheltenhamCredit: Edward Whitaker

With the forecast of a warm and dry weekend and a largely dry week for the festival itself, Pullin is expecting to irrigate at some stage, and said he might begin the process on the New course, which hosts racing on the Thursday and Friday, if the updated forecast on Thursday morning gives him confidence that Friday's rain will not amount to much. 

"Again there’s a little bit of rain around on Monday but a lot of uncertainty as to how much we’ll get," said Pullin. "The rain band on Monday is to the south of us, we’re right on the edge and at the moment it doesn’t look as though we’ll get much. So with a drying forecast, hopefully there will be some more certainty from the updates we get tomorrow around volumes for Friday and potentially we could start some irrigation if required."

Pullin added: "We may start tomorrow, just depending on what the updated forecast says. I think particularly the New course we’ll need to irrigate because, again, next week is looking dry. 

"We'll have cooler temperatures, only nine or ten degrees, but largely dry through the week so I think we’ll need to do something for the New course to keep us in a good place for Thursday." 

Since 2018 only one festival has begun on ground drier than soft, but William Hill go 1-6 about the opening race on Tuesday being run on good to soft, while an official description of soft is priced at 9-2.

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