• 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

The latest going reports from the course today have seen the course dry out as follows:

Old Course - Going stick of 5.4 on Tuesday to 6.9 today. The going is now g/s virtually all over.
New Course - Going stick of 5.9 on Tuesday to 7.2 today. The going is now good in the back straight and around the top bend and g/s everywhere else.
XC - There is no new going stick reading for the XC course but it is now g/s all over with two soft patches, one at the top end of the course and one just after the cheese wedges.

Its another warm day today so it is looking increasingly likely that they will have to put some water on both courses over the weekend. Given the XC isn't watered you probably need to be looking at horses that can go on better ground.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
A lovely warm day yesterday. There was a small shower overnight but nothing meaningful. Its a cloudy morning but no rain expected.

Monday 16th - <1mm
Tuesday 17th - 0mm
Wednesday 18th - 34mm
Thursday 19th - 0mm
Friday 20th - 4mm
Saturday 21st - 1mm
Sunday 22nd - 0mm
Monday 23rd - <1mm
Tuesday 24th - 0mm
Wednesday 25th - 0mm
Thursday 26th - 6mm
Friday 27th - 10mm
Saturday 28th - <1mm
Sunday 1st - 0mm
Monday 2nd - 0mm
Tuesday 3rd - 0mm
Wednesday 4th - 0mm
Thursday 5th - <1mm
 
All forecasts I've seen show rain on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, does this not seem unnecessary?
 
All forecasts I've seen show rain on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, does this not seem unnecessary?
Time will tell...

Although rain is forecast for next week, i) forecasts here are very variable and ii) the amount of rain forecast is not huge, just a few mms per day. They would rather keep the ground from quickening up too much now than do nothing and have to dump a load down on Wednesday night.
 
A cold but dry day yesterday. Overcast this morning but no rain expected - nothing really expected till Wednesday. Between 6mm and 8mm of watering was put on New course yesterday. Will update if any more goes on today.

Monday 16th - <1mm
Tuesday 17th - 0mm
Wednesday 18th - 34mm
Thursday 19th - 0mm
Friday 20th - 4mm
Saturday 21st - 1mm
Sunday 22nd - 0mm
Monday 23rd - <1mm
Tuesday 24th - 0mm
Wednesday 25th - 0mm
Thursday 26th - 6mm
Friday 27th - 10mm
Saturday 28th - <1mm
Sunday 1st - 0mm
Monday 2nd - 0mm
Tuesday 3rd - 0mm
Wednesday 4th - 0mm
Thursday 5th - <1mm
Friday 6th - 0mm
 
A cold but dry day yesterday. Overcast this morning but no rain expected - nothing really expected till Wednesday. Between 6mm and 8mm of watering was put on New course yesterday. Will update if any more goes on today.

Monday 16th - <1mm
Tuesday 17th - 0mm
Wednesday 18th - 34mm
Thursday 19th - 0mm
Friday 20th - 4mm
Saturday 21st - 1mm
Sunday 22nd - 0mm
Monday 23rd - <1mm
Tuesday 24th - 0mm
Wednesday 25th - 0mm
Thursday 26th - 6mm
Friday 27th - 10mm
Saturday 28th - <1mm
Sunday 1st - 0mm
Monday 2nd - 0mm
Tuesday 3rd - 0mm
Wednesday 4th - 0mm
Thursday 5th - <1mm
Friday 6th - 0mm
Top man Prestbury
Very much appreciated
 
Sandown's strategy is a joke, lost their last two meetings to waterlogging but have been watering since Tuesday, ground soft and there was a fair bit more rain yesterday/last night than was forecast so don't be surprised if it rides a bit slower today...
 
Sandown's strategy is a joke, lost their last two meetings to waterlogging but have been watering since Tuesday, ground soft and there was a fair bit more rain yesterday/last night than was forecast so don't be surprised if it rides a bit slower today...
Soft with Heavy in places on Hurdles course. Idiots.
 
Soft with Heavy in places on Hurdles course. Idiots.
Is that true ?
Staggering if it is.
They really are a disgrace there, so paranoid about ground getting too quick for flat season and ensuring they get proper grass growth, all at the expense of NH horses...
 
Is that true ?
Staggering if it is.
They really are a disgrace there, so paranoid about ground getting too quick for flat season and ensuring they get proper grass growth, all at the expense of NH horses...
Yep. On RP site. Few pulled out already because of ground
 
  • Like
Reactions: Istabraq
No further watering has been done other than the initial 6-8mm on the New Course. The going stick readings today were 6.5 on the Old, 6.3 on the New and 6.6 on the XC.

The going is g/s on all courses except for the last two fences in the back straight and the far top turn on the Old course and the far top turn plus the entrance to the straight on the New course, all of which are good patches.
 
A little bit of rain overnight in the region of 1-2mm. Damp and cloudy start to the day but no more rain expected until Tuesday. Will update if the Clerk puts any more water on.

Monday 16th - <1mm
Tuesday 17th - 0mm
Wednesday 18th - 34mm
Thursday 19th - 0mm
Friday 20th - 4mm
Saturday 21st - 1mm
Sunday 22nd - 0mm
Monday 23rd - <1mm
Tuesday 24th - 0mm
Wednesday 25th - 0mm
Thursday 26th - 6mm
Friday 27th - 10mm
Saturday 28th - <1mm
Sunday 1st - 0mm
Monday 2nd - 0mm
Tuesday 3rd - 0mm
Wednesday 4th - 0mm
Thursday 5th - <1mm
Friday 6th - 0mm
Saturday 7th - 1-2mm
 
Looks like we’re going to have one of those festivals again where the rain during the festival will really flip what sort of horse you need to win

Day 1 could be fairly quick

Come Thursday, could be looking at real good stayers with it being on new track and suspect going will be soft
 
Looks like we’re going to have one of those festivals again where the rain during the festival will really flip what sort of horse you need to win

Day 1 could be fairly quick

Come Thursday, could be looking at real good stayers with it being on new track and suspect going will be soft
At the moment it doesn't look like any heavy rain, Thursday/Friday from all the forecasts I've seen. At the moment I'd be fairly happy with little fear of extreme going. Have you seen forecasts otherwise?
 
  • Like
Reactions: opatcho