Goodwood set to start on the easy side of good with sunny outlook for the week

Goodwood's showpiece meeting is set to start with conditions on the easy side of good, but a dry week is forecast with temperatures set to rise as the five-day festival progresses.

Since a downpour on Saturday yielded 12mm of rain, the track has faced only periods of drizzle, the last of which was expected to have passed by Monday evening.

"It's looking dry, sunny and increasingly warm as the week progresses," said clerk of the course Ed Arkell, who described the going as good, good to soft in places on the eve of day one.

He added: "Ideally we'd be starting on straight, good ground tomorrow but we'll have to see what happens overnight. We'll certainly be on the easy side of good and I wouldn't be surprised after a fairly damp day today that we might well stay good, good to soft in places for the start of the meeting."

Goodwood Tuesday card

Temperatures could climb to a high of 27C by Friday, and the benefit of rain in the build up should remove the need for Arkell to water during the meeting.

"Not having to worry about watering at the beginning and middle of the meeting is helpful and hopefully it will see us through," he said.

"Once the drizzle is through it looks dry right the way through to the end of the week. Ideally you'd quicken half a description a day and end up on good to firm ground on Saturday. That's an ideal world."

Although the meeting will start behind closed doors, the final day on Saturday will see some spectators joining owners at the track for the first time since racing resumed on June 1, and Arkell said: "We're looking forward to a great week of racing - it's fantastic to be on and it will be great to have some people back on course on Saturday."

Read more:

Race of the season? Guineas heroes stand their ground in sensational Sussex

The six dark horses you need to look out for at Glorious Goodwood

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