Riders and bettors will confront Good to Soft ground and a reshaped run-in, with the final hurdles no longer in their traditional Festival spots. At 2: 30 p. m. ET, Clerk of the Course Jon Pullin detailed selective watering on Monday aimed at holding conditions steady as cheltenham opens on that surface.
Cheltenham Going: Good to Soft Now, With Last Hurdles Re-sited
Opening-day races are set to break on predominantly Good to Soft ground, with some Good in places, after targeted irrigation. The Hurdle, Chase, and Cross Country tracks are described as Good to Soft, Good in places, and Pullin indicated that by day’s end the pockets of Good could disappear as irrigation beds in.
- Hurdle Course: Good to Soft, Good in places
- Chase Course: Good to Soft, Good in places
- Cross Country Course: Good to Soft, Good in places
The final hurdles on both the Old and New Courses will not sit in their traditional Festival locations this season. Pullin said the winter left an area turning away from the stands wetter than preferred, making the usual Festival siting awkward for a clean racing line. By retaining the hurdles in their standard seasonal positions, the course has created a smoother running line that steers runners clear of that softer patch.
Jon Pullin’s Forecast: Dry Raceday, Then 2–4mm After Racing
Pullin expects conditions to hold through raceday, with dry weather anticipated during racing before a fresh band of rain arrives after the card, delivering 2–4mm ahead of Wednesday. That pattern, he said, should keep the surface broadly where it is—Good to Soft—without the need to chase moisture once the forecast rain arrives.
He described Monday’s irrigation as “selective, ” prompted by the track tightening more than anticipated during a drier-than-expected weekend. The aim is to prevent ground on the quick side from developing. In practice, that means nudging out isolated Good patches while keeping the prevailing description squarely at Good to Soft for the Festival’s opening exchanges.
Old Course Irrigated; New Course Set for Thursday–Friday Use
After watering parts of the New Course earlier in the week, the team switched attention to the Old Course on Monday when the surface tightened further than forecast. Pullin had not expected to re-open the taps after Sunday, but the unanticipated dryness led officials to irrigate the Old Course to stabilize the going. The New Course remains scheduled for use later in the week, specifically on Thursday and Friday.
That sequencing means the Old Course receives the initial focus for ground management early in the meeting, with the New Course preparation already in place for the latter half. For trainers and jockeys planning their week at cheltenham, the immediate effect is a consistent starting point on Good to Soft and a clearer late-race line where the last hurdles have been re-sited to avoid a persistently wetter area.
If the post-racing band brings the expected 2–4mm ahead of Wednesday, officials anticipate the Good to Soft description will persist into midweek without dramatic change. Should the rain miss or under-deliver, any subsequent adjustments would hinge on how much the surface tightens by the following morning’s inspection.
