WITH just over two weeks to the Cheltenham Festival, the clerk of the course has expressed concern over the condition of the track.

Following a dry summer and autumn, the racing surface has been exposed to freezing temperatures for several weeks in recent months. As a result, grass growth is behind schedule for this time of year and the track has this week embarked on a watering programme which looks set to continue right up to raceday.

Jon Pullin, who oversaw his first Festival as clerk of the course last year, told The Irish Field on Friday: “We would be good ground at the moment across all three tracks. We started watering last week and by today we will have applied 30ml to all courses.

“The long range forecast is predominantly dry. We will get a little bit colder next week for two to three nights and there might be the odd shower, but no significant rain is forecast.

“We’re keeping an eye on reports that a major weather event could develop in mid-March across Britain but at this stage it’s difficult to say if it will happen at all and what areas of the country would be affected.

“Grass growth is a concern, with the conditions we have had since last summer, which was hot and dry. Autumn was dry as well. We were frozen for two weeks in December and for another two weeks in January. So the track has not had the recovery we would usually see.

“We had a warm week last week and, coupled with the irrigation we’ve been doing, we are starting to see some recovery and the hope is that it will continue. We always like to start the Festival on good to soft and hope to maintain that for the week.”

Last week trainer Willie Mullins expressed his own concerns over the likely ground condition at the Festival.

“There has to be a big concern about the ground at Cheltenham,” he said. “They called it good to soft on the first day last year but the times were below standard. I don’t know what the watering policy is in Cheltenham. Hopefully they’ll have soft in the ground the first day. That always used to be the way. It’s been so dry lately. Hopefully the weather will break and it will make it safe but it’s something we’d be worrying about. I think for jump racing you want a good dig in the ground. Once racing starts then it’s very hard to water.”

Yesterday, Mullins said: "It’s going to suit some and not suit others. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Gordon Elliott suggested he would still be sending a big team, regardless of conditions. “I’m sure they will do their best to provide decent ground and I expect all of our intended runners will take their chances," he said.

The likelihood of good ground at the Festival is swaying connections of Honeysuckle towards the Mares' Hurdle rather than the Champion Hurdle. Trainer Henry de Bromhead said: “At the moment we are definitely leaning towards the Mares’ Hurdle with Honeysuckle. Once the ground is safe I don’t think we’d have any worries about any of our runners at the Festival.”