'I’m very relaxed and don’t really succumb to pressure' - Wetherby clerk will only water for Charlie Hall card if course requires it

Wetherby clerk of the course Jonjo Sanderson will consider watering the course before Saturday's Charlie Hall Chase but only to get it in the best possible condition and not in response to pressure from trainers.

On Wednesday, Sanderson tweaked the going description to good, good to soft in places – from good to soft, good in places – and with a drying forecast conceded he might have to put 5mm on the home straight.

On Tuesday Dan Skelton suggested many of his significant number of entries over the two days, including Charlie Hall favourite Grey Dawning, would have to be redirected elsewhere "given the forecast".

Sanderson confirmed he would not be watering to provide more suitable ground. He said: “We’re good, good to soft in places from good to soft, good in places. That’s largely a question of semantics, but given the dry forecast for the next ten days I felt it was a fairer reflection of what it’ll be like Friday morning ahead of declarations today.

“Watering is in the back of my mind, but I’m still content we don’t need to do it yet. If we did it would only be from the two-mile start for a couple of furlongs in the straight and what we’d put on would be minimal – 5mm or so. My stick’s still going in six inches in that part of the course so it’s not a foregone conclusion we’ll water, but if the wind picks up and it dries out we could."

Sanderson added: "I’m very relaxed and don’t really succumb to pressure. I get that for someone younger at the start of their career it could weigh heavier, but I know you don’t please everyone all the time, that’s a fact of life.

“I’d never water because Trainer A wanted it, because there’s always Trainer B who doesn’t want it. I’d only put water on the course so it was in the best possible condition it can be in.

“Putting water on now in the autumn, as a winter jumps track, can absolutely have implications in winter and that’s a factor too. We’re not talking 5mm here and there, but if you put 20mm on in the autumn, which we’ve had to do in the past, then come January the ground can really show distress signals.”

Hang In There (right): his trainer Emma Lavelle would relish a sound surface for the Charlie HallCredit: Alan Crowhurst

One trainer who would fit into the 'B' category is Emma Lavelle, whose ten-year-old Hang In There has made merry on sounder surfaces over the summer months.

“We wouldn’t be entertaining running at Wetherby if it was soft," she said. "He’s lumped stones of weight around all summer giving lumps of weight to everything else, so we figured he deserved a chance at a race like this. He’s off 159 now, which is probably an inflated summer mark, but he deserves to take his chance as he’s an absolute star and loves his job.

“We’re not sure he does genuinely stay three miles; he did in the Summer Cup but this is a different calibre of race. We hope it cuts up as he’s fit and firing from a summer on the go. We want it to be genuine good ground and then he’ll have a break until next spring. We might have a crack at a few of the nicer races, this will give us a steer as to exactly how high we should aim."

Read more . . .

Dan Skelton keen to run Grey Dawning in Saturday's Charlie Hall but drying ground at Wetherby may bring Carlisle into play 

Gerri Colombe and Brighterdaysahead given Wetherby back-up plan in case conditions are too quick at Down Royal 

Shark Hanlon aiming big with two Grade 1 targets for Hewick before six-month ban kicks in 

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