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Cheltenham gales forecast8th March 2008
Officials at Cheltenham are taking precautions against the strong winds that are forecast to hit the area on Monday, just 24 hours before the start of the Festival.
The Met Office forecasts gales of between 60-70mph at Cheltenham on Monday with more strong winds on Tuesday morning, and racecourse staff will need to batten down its tented village on the eve of the festival.
Staff are working over the weekend ensuring everything is secure as well as removing the wings on the course temporarily as an extra step.
"We are looking at a period over the weekend come Monday with potential rainfall and also quite windy," said clerk of the course Simon Claisse.
"We had early warnings about this on Tuesday and Wednesday that something was brewing for Monday.
"We are making sure that everything is secure and we are taking the wings down on the course during the next couple of days. We will get through Monday and hopefully it will be a bit quieter on Tuesday."
Showers are expected on Saturday and again on Sunday before the storm strikes.
A Met Office spokesman said on Friday: "There'll be heavy downpours at Cheltenham on Monday, but the wind will be so strong it will soon blow away the rain, and shouldn't make too much difference to the ground."
Claisse reported that extensive watering on the course had been completed:
"We've been watering for just about a fortnight. We haven't had any appreciable or measurable rain since the beginning of February, so we took the decision the weekend before last to water everything.
"We've actually been round twice the Old Course, which we use on Tuesday and Wednesday, twice. The New Course for Thursday and Friday three times.
"We finished on Wednesday and the going at the moment is good on the Old Course, good to firm on the cross-country course to be used on Tuesday and it's still a bit easier on the new course at good to soft, good in places.
"We've put on about an inch on the Old and an inch and a half on the New and bits and pieces on the cross-country. It amounts to about two million gallons."
Alan King walked the course at Prestbury Park on Friday and reported: "It's in very good nick. The ground is good, no easier than that."
Strong winds forecast for Prestbury Park