'We're a long way from where we'd like to be' - Cheltenham forced to cover due to grass growth woes

Cheltenham has admitted the ground used for the final stages of the Gold Cup is "a long way from where we'd like it to be" due to poor grass growth since its last meeting.

Clerk of the course Jon Pullin stressed conditions would be "perfectly safe" on the two and a half furlongs of the home straight used for the final two days of the Cheltenham Festival, but parts of the course have been covered with fleece sheets in an attempt to improve the grass coverage.

Remedial measures were necessary after soil temperatures were too low for the grass to grow on a stretch of the New course in February.

The track's troubles are not aided by the long-range forecast, with the Met Office predicting sub-zero temperatures from this weekend and the potential for sleet and snow to hit next week.

Pullin said: "We're a long way from where we'd like to be. Conditions haven't been conducive for recovery from the January fixtures, which has made the difference. It'll be perfectly safe for racing but not the level of cover you'd like.”

The going across all three courses is currently a mix of good and good to soft for the festival, which starts on March 14. The track has had 45mm of watering since January 15, with just 10mm of rainfall in that period, and that has helped to improve grass growth.

Pullin added: "We've done three cycles of 15mm on all three courses. That's to help the grass grow and to get ahead of the game in case we have to back off because of the cold spell.

"We've got the fleeces down from the crossing up to the winning line and that's to try to keep the soil temperature up. It hasn't been high enough for the grass to grow and we've put the fleeces down to try to stimulate growth. We had some down for a week, but we pulled them up for a liquid feed and water. Now they’ve gone back down. We're trying everything we can to get the grass covering back."

Pullin is not anticipating the arrival of significant snow in the lead-up to the festival but is ready to cover the track if temperatures plummet early next week.

He added: "The forecast we're looking at is not suggesting a Beast from the East. It'll get colder with some wintry showers but at this stage there is nothing to indicate anything too horrific. We'll get frosts from the weekend. It looks to be getting warmer the following weekend, but we'll keep an eye on those forecasts."

It has been a testing season for Pullin and his team, with the cold snap in December forcing the cancellation of a Saturday fixture. The Trials day card in late January had to survive an inspection due to freezing temperatures.

Andrew Cooper: says all tracks have been affected by a lack of grass growthCredit: Edward Whitaker

Andrew Cooper, clerk of the course at Sandown and Epsom, expressed sympathy with Pullin's situation and believes many racecourses have faced similar woes with a lack of grass growth.

Cooper said: "I think every track has been affected by grass growth and I have every sympathy and understanding with Jon's feelings. It's been a difficult year and the pre-Christmas freeze really seemed to knock the grass cover, condition and look of it from my experience at Sandown.

"It's not like we haven't had freezing temperatures before but I think the comparative lack of strength of the grass came after a long, hot summer, and with it being so dry and cold, we've not been seeing the normal recovery in the grass we're used to."

Sandown stages its Grand Military Gold Cup meeting on Tuesday and Imperial Cup day on Saturday week and Cooper is keeping a close eye on the forecast.

Cooper said: "We're expecting a colder spell than of late in the early to middle part of next week. Things are a little more uncertain thereafter and there's been the odd mention of light snow showers for the south but it's not a clear picture. There's various ways next week could pan out in weather terms, and a return to milder temperatures is similarly a possibility.

"There's no issues at all with us racing at the moment and we're a long way out, but we're starting to think about measures to help us get through the week. It has the potential to be a challenging week and we're going to have to monitor the situation."

Read more . . .

Willie Mullins-trained mare given biggest hike as Cheltenham Festival handicap weights are revealed  

Champion Chase contenders: assessing the key players in Cheltenham's Wednesday feature  

Festival subscription offer | 50% off three months  

Do you want £200+ of free bets for Cheltenham? Racing Post have got the best offers, all in one place. Visit racingpost.com/freebets to find out more.