Cheltenham 2019: Full Wednesday card could be held on Saturday if strong winds persist

Heavy winds caused by Strom Gareth are expected to batter the West Country and put some of the temporary structures around the racecourse at risk

Cheltenham is planning to hold the full Wednesday card on Saturday if strong winds cause the second day of the Festival to be postponed.

Heavy winds caused by Strom Gareth are expected to batter the West Country and put some of the temporary structures around the racecourse at risk.

A precautionary inspection will take place at 8am on Wednesday morning to assess the conditions.

Ladies’ Day at the Festival was cancelled 11 years ago due to strong winds, and there is a danger that the same may happen to tomorrow’s card, which includes the Betway Queen Mother Chase.

Cheltenham remains optimistic that racing will go ahead but plans are being put in place to accommodate Wednesday’s card on Saturday.

“While our focus is to race tomorrow, should the weather conditions not allow this we would stage the whole of Wednesday’s card on Saturday,” said Ian Renton, Regional Direction for the south west region of The Jockey Club.

“This would allow for all seven scheduled races to be re-stages to provide participants with their opportunity to race at The Festival and with originally advertised conditions, which would not be possible in the two remaining days”

Renton added that the inspection will assess whether the strong winds cause a danger to the racing.

“Strong gusting winds are forecast for the area on Wednesday, but their precisse strength and location are not possible to predict in advance.

“We are currently looking at forecasts of gusts inn excess of 45 mph, which may present challenges out on the track and around the site, dependent on their direction.”

The Jockey Club will provide a full refund to all booked tickets to those that paid to attend Wednesday’s action, with tickets for Saturday available online.

Conditions are less than ideal (Getty)

Clerk of the Course at Cheltenham Simon Claisse played down the fears earlier in the week but said they are now closely monitoring the situation.

"We wanted to give you an early insight into conditions for tomorrow as the forecast is looking challenging with strong, gusting winds throughout the day," Claisse said in a video released by Cheltenham racecourse.

"We are continually monitoring the situation and will keep racegoers informed as the conditions present themselves."