They’re off.. possibly
Ladies Day under threat as gales hit race festival
CHELTENHAM Festival could become a victim of Storm Gareth today amid fears high winds could cancel Ladies Day.
The racecourse was buffeted by gales yesterday and festival chiefs may have to postpone today’s racecard until Saturday.
A decision will be taken following an inspection at 8am today.
Winds are due to reach at least 40mph at midday, shortly before racing is due to start and when the majority of the 60,000 punters would be arriving at the course.
Today’s feature race is the Queen Mother Champion Chase but all races are in jeopardy due to the gales, which could cause temporary structures to become unstable.
A similar situation arose 11 years ago and races were moved to the Thursday and Friday of the meeting.
There were fears last month that the festival could be cancelled due to an outbreak of equine flu.
The last full postponement happened in 2001, at the height of the foot-and-mouth crisis.
Yesterday, Celtic stars Scott Brown and Kieran Tierney braved the wind and rain to enjoy a Bhoys day out at the races.
The Parkhead pair were among a string of celebrities including former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, TV presenters Carol Vorderman and Nick Knowles,, and actress Liz Hurley, who battled through Storm Gareth to get to the racecourse.
There was an emotional win in the first race yesterday for Klassical Dream’s owner Joanne Coleman.
She lost her husband John last year but did not let him miss the race – by bringing his ashes in her handbag. Joanne said: “John never got to see him run.”
One lucky Cheltenham punter won £182,000 yesterday from a £2 bet in the placepot.