Cheltenham Season About To Start

Cheltenham is primed for its opening meeting of the 2005/2006 season that will see the racecourse host a total of 16 days racing, with prize money amounting to more than #4.82 million, a new record.

Despite a dry summer and autumn, clerk of the course Simon Claisse is determined to provide decent ground for the two-day October meeting, commencing on Tuesday, October 25.

He said this morning: 'The going is currently good to firm, good in places and if we hadn´t watered it would be firm all round. We ceased watering for the time being yesterday evening and will review the situation tomorrow.

'It has been nearly as dry as it was in 2003 but we have utilised just over five and a half million gallons of irrigation since the end of August.

'We had 10 millimetres of rain on Tuesday night and are forecast more tonight and tomorrow. We could resume watering before racing but that will depend on what rainfall we get by the weekend.

'We are racing on the Old Course and we stay there for The Open Meeting (November 11, 12 & 13) in November.'

Cheltenham has completed a host of changes to its courses and stables over recent seasons and Claisse reports a pause in activity.

He said: 'All the improvements that we´ve done over the last four or five years were to get us to the four-day Festival, which was so successful in March.'

Cheltenham´s October meeting provides two days of quality jump racing with six races on Tuesday and a further seven on Wednesday.

Tuesday features the #15,000 added Thwaites Smooth Beer Handicap Hurdle (3.20pm). The two mile, five furlong contest was won last season by 6/1 favourite The Dark Lord under Leighton Aspell for trainer Lucy Wadham.

The card hosts a couple of novice events that are often early pointers to future big-race winners. The cheltenham.co.uk Novices´ Chase (2.45pm), over two miles and half a furlong, was won in 2003 by the Martin Pipe-trained Puntal who ended that term with victory in the Betfred Gold Cup at Sandown.

Ollie Magern took the opening long distance Waterlaw Novices´ Hurdle (2.10pm) in 2003 and Nigel Twiston-Davies´ charge made a successful return to this meeting last year when landing Wednesday´s #15,000-added Ian Williams Owners Novices´ Chase (3.45pm) over an extended three miles. Ollie Magern built on that triumph with a second to Celestial Gold in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury that November and then captured the Grade One Feltham Novices´ Chase at Kempton.

The October Meeting´s most valuable prize is Wednesday´s #18,000 added Jewson Handicap Hurdle Final (4.20pm). Paul Nicholls has sent out the past two winners, with 5/1 favourite Goblet Of Fire emerging victorious last season under Ruby Walsh. Joe Tizzard partnered the previous year´s, scorer 13/8 favourite Albuhera.

Nicholls has a good record at the October meeting and looks set to have a strong hand again.

The trainer said: 'The October meeting is a good place to start horses off at. Goblet Of Fire won at the meeting last year and he runs in the handicap hurdle (Thwaites Smooth Beer Handicap Hurdle) on the first day. We´ll run something in the two-mile novice chase (cheltenham.co.uk Novices´ Chase).

'I shall probably run Luneray in the Amateur Riders´ Chase (Winning Post at Cheltenham Amateur Riders Handicap Chase) which we´ve won for the past two years with Un Jour A Vassy, and Desert Quest goes in the maiden hurdle (Cheltenham Business Club Maiden Hurdle) .

'On Wednesday, Earth Man will run in the Jewson Final, Sweet Diversion goes in the three- mile novice chase (Ian Williams Owners Novices´ Chase), and I haven´t made my mind up in the handicaps yet but, if it keeps on raining, we will have some runners.'

The first race on Tuesday is due off at 2.10pm, while the racing action on the Wednesday starts at 2pm.

By Paul Nicholls