Clerk of the course at Prestbury Park Simon Claisse, has indicated that if the rain that is forecast does arrive, then he tips the Cheltenham Festival to start on soft ground come Tuesday, and that could be very interesting given the impact it could have on proceedings.

Currently, conditions under foot are officialy listed as good to soft, good in places, but rain due on Monday (today) and early Tuesday could dramatically change all that.

In fact, even Wednesday and Thursday’s racing could also be affected, meaning that we may have to factor this in to any Cheltenham Festival tips that we give out this week. Friday it is hoped will dry up a little, with a day of sunshine expected in the Cheltenham area.

That said, some trainers have already been wlaking the course and appear to be very happy with conditions. In my opinion, and knowing the Cheltenham area well, if 6 to 10 millimetres of rain does fall then it could change things markedly, and although some top flight trainers are happy now, they may not be so happy come Tuesday.

So in the lead up to Tuesday, I shall be keeping an eye on the weather, as well as all the horse racing news, as I assess my racing tips for Cheltenham. I have also been posting some whispers and aother gossip on my sister horse racing blog, so catch up on all the happenings by paying it a visit.