taken from the cheltenham website

Cheltenham consider watering 20th February 2008

Cheltenham could turn on the taps at the weekend in a bid to ensure the ground is perfect for the start of the Festival on March 11.

Temperatures have dropped well below freezing in recent days but whilst the track has handled the icy spell well, clerk of the course Simon Claisse is more concerned about the lack of rain.

There is some light rain forecast for later in the week, but Claisse will consider watering the course should the low pressure fail to materialise in a bid to get the ground perfect for the four-day showpiece:

"The forecast was that the high pressure would break down by the middle of this week and we would then get into some south-westerly air flows that would turn the weather much warmer and bring rain. However, if by the end of the week, when we have another forecast for the next seven to ten days, it looks as if they are not rain-bearing, and if our ground is heading towards the quicker end of good, we'd then take a decision to start some irrigation."

Cheltenham has a history of watering the course in the weeks leading up to the Festival but this proved unnecessary 12 months ago when the weather was wetter than normal.

Officials are hoping the ground rides on the softer side of good on the opening day of the Festival and Claisse will have no qualms about applying water should the need arise:

"Going back to 2003 and 2004, we have watered with two and a bit weeks to go to the festival, so it is not unusual and it all boils down to the certainty of our forecasts. We are going to be considering applying water on 75 acres of racing surface and it takes some time to get around that - there is no point leaving it until the week before. We will take the decision based on the information that we have coming at the end of the week, or maybe the beginning of next."

Good to firm/firm my arse im afraid guys!! i feel really sorry for the nhc at this moment in time, its a real shame. THERE HAVE BEEN 235 RACES IN NHC SO FAR THIS SEASON(INC. WEEK 11) - 26 OF THEN RAN ON GROUND WITH A FIRM IN THE GOING. and we are having firm for the biggest meeting of them all - someone please come on this forum and tell me that isnt the stupidest thing in this league so far this season.

you know what , sometimes i wish i didnt work so hard for this league, both to compete and to help make it more enjoyable. i have (and the top two nhc trainers will agree with me here) the best staying chaser in the league by far . i could easily run him over stupid distances to keep his mark low and then win the grand national by the time mine has jumped beechers brook the 2nd time round. but i try to play realistically and map out targets for him over the season such as to win the moores millions and the 4miler at cheltenham.

then after watching the first few weeks unfold i worked especially hard to produce horses who would appreciate the give in the ground which dominates the nhc. now their chances at cheltenham are gone and i have wasted 4 upload slots which i cannot change now. Alot of thought goes out to hemz and hooley who i know put a heck of a lot of effort into their game. they dont breed horses for flat and then just throw cast offs into the nhc to see how they do - they specifically breed for the nhc league and their nhc highlight week has been given flat meeting ground. its outrageous it really is. this league will be lucky to have hemz and hooley in it next season. im not naming any names of people not in the league who have commented but there a number who have laughed at this cheltenham issue.

like hemz and hooley i must admit my anticipation and excitement for the festival has gone unfortunatley - my main fear however is that next season will bring no improvement to the nhc !! it could be so much better than it is in my opinion!

anyways, bring the festival on - i just hope those two get the winners they deserve as their horses are the best. week 12 is about the best horses being crowned champions - i would certainly take less pleasure of winning the champion hurdle if i did , knowing that sandra bullock hates the ground.

Last 22 Cheltenham Gold Cups:

Heavy - 1
Soft - 2
Good to Soft - 4
Good - 12
Good to Firm - 3

Good to Firm definitely has to be an option for the weather generator. Does anyone deny this?

Simon Claisse may aim for good to soft ground but it looks like he isn't very good at it.

right this is the last post i make on this but i promise u one thing - this post will show every single one who voted to keep it firm that you are wrong !!!

Cheltenham going since 1994 - no firm in it whatsover , check it out on sporting life!!! good , good to soft, soft with good in places !! simon claisse wont let it be firm

here is a link to a racing post article on how simon claisse manages the ground for the cheltenham festival :
http://www.racingpost.com/blog/horse-ra ... od/691478/

this next snippet is taken from this article which i would like to put to u:

Two weeks ago, I started hearing the old Groundhog Day chestnut about how we were looking at the very real possibility of heavy ground at the festival. Then, after 36 hours of dry weather, the prospect of good to soft ground became a very strong likelihood, as it always does, and we were quickly plunged into the debate about how best to ensure there was no 'firm' in the going for the start of the meeting.

Watering, of course, is the only way of ensuring we don't get bone-jarringly hard conditions, so that's the option Simon Claisse, clerk of the course, decided to take.

And then it all hits the fan, doesn't it. Up pop the folk who like to say silly things like "Why don't we just let nature take its course" and "What about all the fast-ground horses? They might as well be retired," and "What does he think he's doing, watering two weeks before the festival, when it might rain and turn the ground soft?"

The trouble is, Claisse will be under orders to produce 'safe' ground, in so far as any ground can be safe when 20 half-ton thoroughbreds are galumphing round it at full tilt, and the only way to do that with any degree of certainty is to use artificial watering. Until somebody comes up with conclusive proof that the supreme being is a racing man with a decent grasp of turf husbandry and an up-to-date copy of the fixture list, we simply can't rely on nature to do the job for us.

As for leaving the watering until much later, on the off-chance that it might rain, because the weather forecast that says it's going to be dry can't be relied upon - well, as Alan King said the other day: "The one thing we don't want is a fast-ground Cheltenham, because the carnage would be unacceptable. They're better off watering early and putting on a bit at a time, rather than getting to next Sunday, thinking 'Oh f***' and flooding it." Quite.

so there it is - think u are right the ground could be firm for cheltenham?? then you are wrong!!!! those who voted for firm either no nothing about horse racing or are so blinded by their desire to win a race that they have lost any common sense over the issue

one last thing i want to say concerns those who voted on this issue - i hope flat only trainers havnt voted on this and voted firm as it has nothing to do with them.

One flat trainer who did vote is Joe - this guy loves his horse racing so what a surprise he voted for going change

Im sure this is just for the first day, lm positive that at least 1 Gold Cup was G/Firm

fair enough mike, one day good to firm ,one year. get in there!!

I also voted for a going change as I stated in an earlier post, and most of my horses want FIRM as I also stated earlier.

I assume I am called a flat trainer, because my horses that run over the jumps are so called flat horses.

Next season, when the league starts again, I will have played the NH game as well as the flat, and guess what?
I WILL STILL VOTE FOR NO FIRM!!!


Matt

Can you not just randomise the ground again! it's caused a furore which isn't necessary!! I thought this league was getting back on it's feet again but all everyones hard work especially rich's can't be torn down on one ground decision..........I voted for change when I shouldn't have as firm would have favoured a lot of my chances but I think it should be change just to stop this argument, it's gone on long enough and I haven't even read the brunt of it but guess it's the same points whirling around! Instead of having a vote, we voted for you as president, it's your turn to step up and decide, either way it's going to annoy someone! Do what you think is right el presidente!

MATT - I class you as an nhc trainer also as you have a full stable mate!!!sorry for the confusion there

nick majority of my horses prefer firm but i voted for realism, not to favour my horses

Exactly the same as what I did, I voted for realism not to favour my horses plus I voted so the arguments would stop as the majority obviously want it to be changed, whatever happens peoples horses will be affected, two of my main cheltenham hopes need firmer, two need good and two need softer.....I just think the argument has gone too far and rich should decide wether to change it or not before this gets out of hand and people start taking horses out of the leagues! Come on guys it's a game! I know everyone looks forward to cheltenham and this may ruin it for some but there's always next season and the season after that! But there might not be if we continually bicker! Hopefully my previews should lighten a few spirits and we can move on from this, don't forget there's aintree and punchestown for redemption as well if it all goes wrong at chelts!

exactly the same in my stable nick - i just think when out of 235 races so far 26 have had firm in description its then a travisty to have the top meeting on firmish ground. it doesnt make sense. i wouldnt argue against it at all if it was a realistic ground , its the fact that everyone knows the course would be watered for 'perfect ground'!

well done for continuing with doing the previews, i will read them and will enter my horses - what good will i get from not entering my horses , no1 will care, it wont change anything. if withdrawing my horses meant ground would be changed to good then i would do it for the other trainers who have worked so hard on nhc.

i havnt really had the chance to talk in detail about what i would do for the nhc league if given the opportunity, only Laurel and Hemz know just how much effort i would put into making the nhc league better than ever

No worries

Come on now guys, rich has changed it to good to firm, I think it's time for a reality check.......
I love this game and I love been involved in the league, when the league was set up there was a post informing trainers of possible ground conditions in each season (winter,spring,autumn,summer), we all knew that there is a chance of getting soft in the description in going in the summer on the flat at any given meeting and same goes for getting firm in the description in spring on the jumps, we knew it was done at random, so we all had the chance to train horses that could go on different grounds!!!

You talk about reality, when it has come up firm at Cheltenham(very rarely admittedly), trainers can't roll the dice again, or force the clerk of the course to water to change the going to suit their nags, they have to decide whether to risk them or save them for another day, that's part of racing!!!

So come on guys, get off richs back n enter your nags, the best horse on the day on the ground chosen at random(which we all knew had about a 5-10% chance of having firm in the description) will win......But most of all don't take it to seriously, we're detracting from what the league is all about........ENJOYMENT!!!!

Im afraid by even making this poll has made the decision for Rich impossible now to change. If it has changed to G/Firm l think thats the best we can accept. If the generator did give FIRM ground in all fairness l would of done it again just for this 1 meeting. The fact it has now be released to everyone that the ground is firm if Rich did change this then people would be kick up a massive fuss that he changed it cus certain people asked for it and that leaves it open to moan at every ground type at every meeting. I think that it should of been changed without even mentioning it to the forum and all would of been happy, but l can see why rich cant really change it now as for future and present arguements. i think you should just accept the decision now and focus on the meeting and who knows back in th old days we always said a good horse can win on any ground

The top trainers will always have the best chance no matter what, and the rest of us just keep our fingers crossed as normal. Yes I know firm isn’t realistic but this is just a game and everyone is getting worked up into a frenzy for nothing. This is my second season, okay second half season as we all know what happened last season, and I’m really fed up with the arguments, how does it look to other potential newcomers when all they see is arguments? Too many people keep throwing their toys out of the pram for nothing. The simple fact is people are trying to change it to suit them and are using the unrealistic argument as the ammo, it’s just a bloody game! If you want to change it then change it, but we’re setting a bad precedent for the future, and if you are going to change it then you may as well rip that page out of the rule book. And before people use the ‘oh flat trainers dictating this and that’ argument, I ‘m neither a flat or jumps trainer, I’m just a duff trainer trying to have a bit of fun that the moaners are ruining for me.