Cheltenham Festival likely to start on 'easier side' after prolonged wet spell

In the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival the conundrum facing the clerk of the course is often whether to water, but that is not the case this year with the ground on Sunday soft, heavy in places and Jon Pullin accepting the surface is likely to be on the easier side, even after a drying week.

More than 100mm of rain in February on top of a very damp winter and autumn has left the course soggy and with the start of the festival just nine days away Pullin is unsure just how much the ground will quicken up before the runners line up for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle on Tuesday March 12.

Pullin, preparing for his third festival as clerk of the course, said on Sunday: "We're soft, heavy in places after a very wet winter, but while there are a few more showers about, the forecast for the next week is largely dry. We're dry today and from Tuesday onwards we could have a run of three or four dry days before it turns unsettled again at the weekend.

"Even then it looks like lighter showers at this stage, rather than anything significant, so we'll see how much it dries back during the week and reassess from there. We've been very wet so there's plenty of moisture in the ground and we'll just have to see how much it dries this week."

The Cheltenham ground is currently heavy in placesCredit: Michael Steele

He added: "We're very pleased with the grass cover, we've not had the prolonged cold spells this winter we had last, so the recovery from previous meetings has been good. We're happy with where we are from a grass cover point of view."

Sky Bet, who sponsor the Supreme Novices', make good to soft their 4-7 favourite for the going description for the opening race, with soft a 13-8 chance.

Pullin would not be drawn on a long-range prediction, but said: "I wouldn't commit this far out to a going description but I suspect it will be on the easier side."

Four of the last five festivals have started on soft, with the other beginning on good to soft. The 2018 festival started on heavy, while the preceding four all started on ground described as good to soft.

First race official going description

Sky Bet: 4-7 good to soft, 13-8 soft, 11 heavy, 25 good

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