'We'd do exactly the same' - Cheltenham boss defends course's decision to water

Cheltenham would water without hesitation if presented with the same circumstances it faced this year, according to the racecourse’s boss, after trainers criticised the decision to do so on Tuesday before the track was hit by a deluge the following day.

Paul Nicholls withdrew leading contender Bravemansgame before the Grade 1 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase and queried why officials had made the choice to water when “as from Sunday, [Wednesday] was always going to be a wet day today”.

However, Ian Renton, the Jockey Club’s regional director for Cheltenham and the south-west, was adamant the forecasts and the importance of providing a safe surface for participants meant watering was the right call and said that the course would do exactly the same in the future.