Our experts on how the easing of the ground at Cheltenham affects their betting

With the Cheltenham Festival now less than 24 hours away, we've outlined everything you need to know about current ground conditions as the sport gears up for the four-day bonanza, starting on Tuesday, March 16.

The official going description

The going at Cheltenham was changed to soft, good to soft in places (from good to soft) on all courses on Monday morning.

View from the course

On Monday evening, clerk of the course Simon Claisse said: "We got significantly more rainfall than any forecast predicted last night, with 10mm falling rather than a couple, so we changed the going to soft, good to soft in places on all courses this morning.

"That is where we remain although there is now some more good to soft than there was this morning."

The last racing to go ahead at Cheltenham was the two-day meeting on December 11 and 12. The track's two meetings since then had to be cancelled – New Year's Day and Trials day on January 30.

What does the forecast say?

Clerk of the course Simon Claisse added: "We may get a shower or two overnight, otherwise the forecast is relatively dry with temperatures of 10-11C tomorrow and I suspect it will slowly dry out through the week. But after last night, we must remind ourselves they are only forecasts."

How significant is this?

In a week where the races are often decided by the finest of margins, an easing in the going at Cheltenham to soft, good to soft in places could have some notable ramifications.

Horses including Shishkin, Goshen and Metier are just three of the big-name runners on Tuesday who have a proven liking for more testing conditions.

Additionally, rain at this point in the week sets the expected drying process back by at least a day, which could be bad news for horses scheduled to run at the back end of week who like to be on top of the ground.

What do our experts think?

Considering how testing the ground has been at Cheltenham throughout the winter it's no surprise that soft dominates the going description.

It's one of the biggest misconceptions in racing that a good horse can handle any type of ground, so plenty of last-minute revision will be required ahead of day one.

Cheltenham can dry out quickly at this time of year, but it seems highly likely now that all four days will be played out on ground with significant give in it.
Richard Birch

I will be holding fire until Tuesday. With there being no further rain forecast before racing begins, it is suspected the soft, good to soft in places description will be flipped around if there is any chance to do so.

The needle may move slightly on my bets, but it is unlikely I will change any selections before racing starts. I will now be sure to time the Supreme and Arkle to get the most accurate handle on how the track is riding.
Keith Melrose

The problem is that given the amount of rain Cheltenham has had this winter it doesn't take much for the ground to go soft quickly. We saw that at Sandown on Saturday where the forecast was for good ground on Thursday but come Saturday it was heavy.

Having said that we won't actually know what conditions are like until after the Supreme, so it won't change the way I'm approaching the festival too much and come Friday we could easily be talking about good ground again.
Tom Segal

I always thought we’d never know the true state of the ground until after the first, but very quick ground is probably out now, at least on day one.

We saw at Sandown on Friday how dangerous it is to take an official description for granted because the good to soft was clearly nearer to heavy. It’s just a case of waiting and seeing how soft or otherwise Cheltenham is.
Paul Kealy

Read more on the Cheltenham Festival:

Four horses who will relish soft ground on day one of the Cheltenham Festival

Epatante, Honeysuckle and Goshen declared for epic Champion Hurdle showdown

Appreciate It and Metier among eight declared for Supreme clash

Cheltenham Festival unwrapped: the lowdown on all 28 races and the track

Quotes of the build-up: 'I often find that everything is forgotten if you get a winner at Cheltenham'

Punting plans: Tom Segal, Paul Kealy, Keith Melrose and Graeme Rodway on Cheltenham week

Thyme Hill to miss Stayers' Hurdle showdown with Paisley Park

'Freak of an animal' First Flow showing right signs for Champion Chase

David Pipe on Adagio's chances in 'one of the best Triumphs in recent years'

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