Cheltenham call precautionary inspection due to high winds warning

Cheltenham will hold a precautionary inspection at 7.30am ahead of their New Year’s Day card due to a yellow weather warning regarding high winds, although conditions are expected to improve ahead of racing.

National Hunt HQ is set to attract a bumper crowd but the forecast winds overnight into Wednesday morning have the potential to present challenges to the course, with temporary facilities including the popular Cheltenham Village set to be in use throughout the day.

Cheltenham clerk of the course Jon Pullin and his team will now take an early-morning look at the effect of the wind on the course infrastructure before the gates are opened, but the gales are set to ease ahead of the scheduled first race at 12.20pm.

“Given the forecast wind speeds overnight and into tomorrow morning, which could see gusts of up to 45-50mph, we have just taken the decision to have a precautionary inspection at 7.30am to see where we are in terms of course and track infrastructure,” said Pullin.

“We have the temporary village that is built and ready, much of which is in use at this fixture with an anticipated crowd of nearly 30,000, so we just need to have the opportunity to make sure everything is OK with that before we give the go ahead.

“The winds are forecast to drop around 10am and if that is the case, there should be no problem for racing, but we just wanted the opportunity to assess where we are in the morning.

“The safety of customers, participants and our own team is paramount and we just need to take that look at 7.30am and see where we are.”

Exeter will also hold a precautionary inspection at the same time ahead of tomorrow’s meeting. The forecast there is for wind speeds to reach 50mph throughout the early hours of the morning and again to reduce at 10am to a manageable level.

Racing in Ireland is also under threat, with Tramore’s fixture that features the Grade Three O’Driscoll’s Irish Whiskey New Year’s Day Chase subject to an 8am precautionary inspection due to forecast heavy rain.

“Due to the current forecast, which is predicting up to 20mm of rain, there will be an 8am precautionary inspection tomorrow morning,” clerk of the course Val O’Connell said.

“There has been no rain at the track since declarations yesterday and it remains dry at present but Met Eireann are giving us the possibility of up to 20mm of rain from later today up until 8am tomorrow morning, so on that basis we felt it was right to have a precautionary inspection.

“It is to be a mainly dry and breezy day once the rain passes tomorrow morning.”