Today's Cheltenham Festival races have been cancelled due to stormy weather, which has already destroyed one structure at the racecourse, as well as making the tented hospitality areas unsafe.
Wednesday's card will now be run across Thursday and Friday, although organisers were expecting 55,000 people to attend Map of Prestbury Park today.
Edward Gillespie, the managing director, explained: 'On Tuesday night we had a forecast indicating gusts of over 50mph up to and including Wednesday afternoon. That means that many of the temporary facilities might not be safe. It's a west wind, which would take any debris on to the racecourse.'
The Gold Cup showdown between Kauto Star and Denman (which was feature in March 6 issue of Country Life) will still take place on Friday as part of a nine-race card.
Ticket holders for today will receive a 100% refund, but those tickets will not be valid on Thursday or Friday. There will be tickets on sale for all three enclosures tomorrow, using a higher capacity of 65,000, but Friday is sold out.
Today's Cheltenham Festival races have been cancelled due to stormy weather, after one structure was destroyed and the tented hospitality areas declared unsafe.
To comment on this article, use the comment box below, or email us at clonews@ipcmedia.com. Read more about the countryside.
-
On Devon's Saunton Sands, the future is FerndownThis modern masterpiece, for sale with Savills, boasts 12,000sq ft of luxury contemporary living with beach views.
-
Curious questions: Where did the Snakes and Ladders board game come from?Games of Snakes and Ladder punctuated most of our childhoods, but how many of us know about its Ancient Indian origins and the fact that it was designed to teach us about liberation from the transmutations of karma?
