• HELP US - Become a Patron - Fat Jockey is a horse racing community focused on all the big races in the UK and Ireland. We don't charge users but if you have found the site useful then any support towards the running costs is appreciated ... a small donation each month would be a huge contribution. Become a Patron!

Weather Watch 2026

Im 15 miles away and been raining now since first light and sill falling
 
  • Like
Reactions: Eggs
Just began to drizzle, enough to barely wet the pavement but stopped now.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Eggs
Jon Pullin, clerk of the course at Cheltenham, expects the Festival to start on good-to-soft ground despite significant rain in the area.

Speaking to Nick Luck on Racing TV's Road To Cheltenham on Monday morning while walking the course, Pullin revealed that he was happy with the condition of both the New and Old Courses heading into the track's biggest week of the year.

"It's proper good-to-soft ground, it's not going to be quick, and this would be at the bottom end of good-to-soft," he said.

"We had temperatures yesterday of 16 and a half degrees and we probably anticipated a little bit more dryback yesterday than we actually got but we're in good shape; lovely jumping ground really."

The warm spell that saw record temperatures in the UK over the weekend was short-lived with the mercury reverting to more typical levels for early March which should mean that there is limited evaporation for the remainder of the week.

Pullin explained: "The New Course potentially won't dry too much now with the forecast we've got of these daytime temperatures between 6 and 8 degrees so it's not going to move a lot, so there may still be some soft ground there but in the main, as it is currently [good-to-soft].

"The forecast for today is very much as it is - overcast, cloudy - we might get a little shower later on but they are saying half a mill to a mill.

"I'm aware that there is some fairly significant rain around us but the forecast for us isn't showing that."
​
 
Second leg of the school run (one of the well hidden benefits of taking race week off!). Raining again, bit harder now but nothing too much. Perfect Cheltenham eve weather
 
So good to soft

Easy

1.01 every year :cower:
 
Odin said:
Latest Met Office says it's gonna come down hard in about 90 mins, be interesting to see how it actually turns out as their graphs have been changing all day :highly_amused:

https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/maps-and-charts/rainfall-radar-forecast-map#?bbox=%5B%5B51.09144802136697,-4.053955078125001%5D,%5B52.736291655910925,-0.05218505859375001%5D%5D&model=ukmo-ukv&layer=rainfall-rate&timestep=1741622400000&search=Cheltenham%20Ra cecourse%20(Gloucestershire)&slatlong=51.920979022 979736%2C-2.0543789863586426&sgeohash=gcnx37bj9
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, that is more than half a mill :topsy_turvy:

Get in the garden Prestbury :biggrin-new:
 
Kevloaf said:
So good to soft

Easy

1.01 every year :cower:
Click to expand...

……except ‘soft’, which I’m fairly sure has been the predominant opening ground condition for 6 of the last 9 festivals, or suitably close to?
 
Lovely weather this, brought it down the road for you chaps
 
Yep, deffo Soft tomorrow. Hasn't stopped since I've been here and not looking like it will stop for a good while yet. Well done for watering and top marks to the wanker forecaster's.
 
fatherjohn said:
large puddles everywhere and a lot more than they expected... I'd say soft to start day 1
Click to expand...

This rain has been possible since at least yesterday. If they watered yesterday (I don't know if they did), they were playing with fire. Before that, I probably have a bit of sympathy for them wanting/needing to water
 
It started raining at about 3:15 but it was just a fine drizzle for the first hour. Since about 4:15 it has been a steady rain rather than heavy (think intermittent wipers rather than constant) - you definitely need an umbrella but its not biblical or anything. If it were to stop now then it wont have had much impact on the ground - it will depend on how long this continues for.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Carnage at Taunton, Irish Rugby, Eudipe and 1 other person
The clerk might have got it bang on then. Find out in the morning.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Craigy14
Who are the mud larks

Pile in

Only By Night wins all
 
Prestbury said:
It started raining at about 3:15 but it was just a fine drizzle for the first hour. Since about 4:15 it has been a steady rain rather than heavy (think intermittent wipers rather than constant) - you definitely need an umbrella but its not biblical or anything. If it were to stop now then it wont have had much impact on the ground - it will depend on how long this continues for.
Click to expand...

Many thanks for the regular updates Prestbury, very much appreciated.
 
  • Like
Reactions: robith, Prestbury, Irish Rugby and 1 other person
Just walked across pitville park...I think the ground being good to firm after the weekend has made some of the water settle. But if it stops as predicted and soaks in..I'm not sure it changes the ground significantly
 
  • Like
Reactions: The Giant Bolster
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom