Click here so as to add us to your Google most popular sources or discover out extra here
The ground for the beginning of Cheltenham on Tuesday has changed to good to mushy, good in locations (from good to mushy), with watering under way on the eve of the festival.
Conditions on the Old course, in use for the primary two days of the assembly, quickened barely following a dry Sunday, prompting the change to the going description on Monday morning and the choice to start out selective watering of the course (4-5mm).
Clerk of the course Jon Pullin mentioned: “We dried up a little bit more than anticipated yesterday, so we’re good to soft, good in places and we’re doing a little bit of selective watering today to maintain the good to soft and improve the good.
“The forecast is dry now by way of till after racing tomorrow. I’d think about we’ll begin tomorrow on both good to mushy or good to mushy, good in locations.”
The going on the New course remains good to soft, good in places, with selective watering taking place on “solely the nice areas” on Monday.
On the forecast for the rest of the week, Pullin said: “There’s somewhat bit of rain coming in after racing on Tuesday into Wednesday, then it is dry throughout Wednesday day and in a single day into Thursday. It’s dry throughout a lot of the day on Thursday with a band of rain shifting in by way of the afternoon and persevering with by way of the evening into Friday.”
The ground has also been changed to good to soft, good in places (from good to soft) on the cross country course for Wednesday’s Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase.
The latest GoingStick reading on the Old course is 6.2, with the other tracks to be updated later on Monday.
Going analysis: unusually fast ground could be in prospect at Cheltenham
For the last few weeks, and several months before that in the background, we have been keeping our own record of how reported GoingStick readings match up with reported going descriptions. These things should be consistent, and fit some sort of linear relationship. Racing Post subscribers can get the fruits of this model every day in The Edge, which assesses the ground at every British turf meeting along these lines.
On our model, a GoingStick reading of 6.2 at Cheltenham corresponds to ground that would be good, good to soft in places. That is to say, we think it might be a little bit quicker than the official description provided on Monday.
You are not just relying on our maths to suggest that 6.2 is very much on the cusp of good ground at Cheltenham. The reading on New Year’s Day this year was 6.3, and called good ground. The last time the festival started on ground that quick, in 2022 when the reading was 6.3, two course records were set.
The watering set to take place on Monday could change things. Barring that, we are set for unusually quick ground for the start of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival.
Keith Melrose, betting editor
Get objective going assessments that cut through opinion for all four days of the festival with The Edge, our new daily product, led by Racing Post betting expert Harry Wilson, which is delivered to your inbox and our website and app every morning at 8am.
Subscribers will need to opt-in to receive The Edge here, whereas these with out a Racing Post+ subscription can sign up here and entry The Edge with a particular provide: 50% off your subscription over a full year.
Read these subsequent:
2026 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival: the runners, the odds, the verdict
Don’t miss a thing at the Cheltenham Festival – sign up to Racing Post+ now with a whopping 50% off!
Looking without spending a dime bets? Racing Post have gotten the perfect affords, multi function place. Visit racingpost.com/freebets to find out more.
