Bookies have been forced to alter odds on soft ground following severe weather that has swept across the country.
Cheltenham Racecourse has received between four to six inches of snow over the past previous days, forcing bookies to slash odds on the ground for the first day.
Exactly one week ago (February 24), William Hill priced up ‘good to soft’ at 1/4.
However, following the severe weather that has lambasted the country, bookmakers have been forced to adapt and alter that to 4/7.
That’s meant ‘soft’ has been shortened, from 3/1 into just 6/4, as racecourse experts anticipate a tumultuous lead up in regards to weather for the Festival.
The short term forecast is for the weather to improve over the weekend and into next week but there could be more adverse weather to come in the lead up to the Festival.
A Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) event taking place at the moment looks set to continue to affect UK weather well into March however, which would put the start of Spring on hold.
The SSW increases the chance of Arctic blasts pushing south which means it’s highly likely that adverse weather conditions will return in time for Cheltenham.
Oddschecker spokesperson George Elek said: “It is normally ensured that Day 1 of the Festival is good to soft before the wear and tear of the week takes it course but, having ground most of Europe to a standstill, the Beast of the East could affect the going at Prestbury Park.
“Punters should take note when choosing the bets for the whole week, with horses with soft ground form maybe worth siding with.”
