THE CHELTENHAM clerk of the course Simon Claisse anticipates having to water the course once more this weekend ahead of the start of the Festival on Tuesday week.
Claisse brought out the sprinklers towards the end of last week following a dry spell and anticipates doing the same in the coming days. He said: "There are now just 13 days to go to the festival and this time last year the ground was soft, heavy in places.
"We have had nearly as much rain this winter but the pattern has been different. Approaching last weekend the ground was at the fast end of good, so we put half an inch of water onto the new and old courses. If we hadn't, the ground would now be good to firm.
"It is now good to soft, good in places and we are forecast between 26 and 37 millimetres of rain between now and Friday week. If we get that it will hold the course in perfect condition for racing, but I have a hunch that I will have to water again this weekend to keep us on the slow side of good to soft."
Claisse reported that minor alterations had been made to the second-last fence on the old course following the death of Paul Nicholls's Granit Jack in November.
He added: "After extensive consultation between jockeys, trainers, vets and the BHA we have made minor alterations to the second-last fence on the old course. We have altered the profile by pulling out the toe-board by six inches and by rounding off the shoulder. Denis O'Regan jumped the fence a couple of weeks ago on a horse of Howard Johnson's and said it was perfect."
Meanwhile, Tony McCoy stresses he will not return to the saddle unless he is at the top of his game - despite the festival looming large on the horizon.
Although the champion jockey hopes to be given the thumbs up from BHA medical advisor Michael Turner next week, he acknowledges the seriousness of his back injury.
But McCoy, who fractured two vertebrae when parting company with Arnold Layne at Warwick on January 12th, continued his path towards a pre-Festival comeback when riding out for Jonjo O'Neill yesterday morning.
"The recovery is going well and everything seems to have gone okay," said McCoy. "I would obviously like to ride as soon as possible but that is down to Dr Turner, and he doesn't seem too keen on me returning too soon before the festival.
McCoy hopes to be back in the plate by the middle of next week to acclimatise himself.
"I am not just keen to get back because it is Cheltenham," he added. "I need to ride before Cheltenham but it is not my choice when to come back.
"I need to have some race-riding before Cheltenham to be fair to the people I'm riding for."
Exotic Dancer has suffered a minor setback (back ligaments) which has raised some doubt about his participation in the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup. The eight-year-old chased home Kauto Star in last season's blue riband.
