Overview
- Cheltenham reported 7mm of overnight rain and now lists the going as good to soft, soft in places, with no inspection planned for day one.
- Clerk of the course Jon Pullin expects significant rainfall during racing, warning totals could exceed 20mm, while winds are not currently viewed as a threat.
- The BHA has replaced Friday’s cancelled cross-country with a 1.45pm veterans’ handicap after the specialist track was deemed unraceable on quick ground last week.
- The Grade 2 Shloer Chase headlines Friday’s card, with Jonbon bidding for a third consecutive win against rivals including L’Eau Du Sud and Edwardstone.
- Bookmakers have launched meeting-specific promotions, and coverage highlights fancied runners such as Wade Out in the 3m1f novice chase and Heads Up in the Grade 2 novices’ hurdle, as Sir Alex Ferguson’s multiple entries draw added interest with a reported potential prize haul if they all win.