Soft ground but dry forecast for Cheltenham

Cheltenham's clerk of the course Simon Claisse reports the track to be soft all round with just six days to go until the start of the Festival.

Heavy rain fell in the Cotswolds overnight, but there is a predominantly dry forecast from now until the showpiece meeting gets under way next Tuesday.

Claisse said: " We had 24 millimetres of rain overnight which has left the course soft all round."

He went on: "There is tiny spit in the air, but the outlook is mostly dry and it's also due to turn milder.

"I'm happy the rain has come today and not this time next week."

Asked about the prospect of watering, Claisse added: "That does not feature in our current plans."