ANY rational person in racing will have empathy for the challenges facing clerks of the courses across the board - and that pressure is amplified tenfold when overseeing ground conditions for the sport’s biggest National Hunt meeting.

Nobody is doubting the task at hand for the team at Cheltenham each season, but the 2026 fixtures at Prestbury Park will hardly be reflected upon as a favourable chapter for the racecourse. After the discovery of a hole in the home straight on Trials Day in January (later attributed to a collapsed drain) and controversially quick ground conditions for the Festival in March, it capped a forgettable spell this week when the cancellation of their remaining three fixtures in April was announced.