Cheltenham Festival goes ahead after course passes inspection (From York Press)

Cheltenham Festival goes ahead after course passes inspection

10:39am Tuesday 12th March 2013 in Sport By Steve Carroll, Sports reporter

THE first day of the Cheltenham Festival will get under way at 2.05pm following a mid-morning inspection.
Cheltenham officials were forced to take a look after temperatures, with the wind chill, dropped to -12C overnight and left a few parts of the track frozen.
The going was soft, frozen in a few places on the chase and hurdle course, and also soft, with some further frozen patches, on the cross country course.
The opening day was supposed to begin at 1.30pm with the William Hill Supreme Novices’ Hurdle but that has been put back 35 minutes, while the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase, due to take place at 4pm, will now be staged at 5.45pm and will be the last race of the day.
Countrywide Flame, who flies the flag for North Yorkshire and Norton trainer John Quinn, will take to the track in the Stan James Champion Hurdle at 4pm.