Soft start for Festival

Clerk of the course Simon Claisse reports the Cheltenham going to be unchanged after a dry night at Prestbury Park.

The Festival meeting kicks off this afternoon on ground that is officially

described as soft, good to soft in places.

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Claisse reports the cross country course to be more testing but he is

delighted with the way the track has recovered after a wet spell.

"It has been a very wet winter. Just last week the ground was saturated, it

was heavy all over, we couldn't really get on it at all," he told Channel 4.

"The ground staff have done a magnificent job in the last seven or eight days

to turn it around and we couldn't have wished for a better start.

"I have left the old course which we are on today and tomorrow as soft, good

to soft in places. There's a little bit of good to soft down the back straight

as they ride the hill and start the turn to come down to the second last.

"On the cross country, which doesn't have any drainage in it really, it is

soft, heavy in places.

"We have been delighted with the trainer reaction we have had (to the

ground).

"The other thing that is a little bit different from last year is that every

day on both the hurdle and chase courses we will be opening up fresh ground."