Racing: Watering at Cheltenham is 'crazy', says Knight

The trainer Henrietta Knight, whose Best Mate is 7-4 favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, yesterday condemned the decision to start watering the course, two weeks before the start of the three-day Festival on 11 March.

On hearing the news that approximately half an inch of water had been put on the old and new courses yesterday, Knight's immediate reaction was: "It's crazy. No one can guess ahead what the British weather will be like in two weeks' time."

Simon Claisse, Cheltenham's clerk of the course, explained the reasoning behind early watering: "The two courses, which have been fertilised, are in excellent shape and have come through some very cold weather in pleasing condition. The one worry has been the amount of rain that we will receive before the Festival. It has been looking like it might not be enough to have the ground on the easy side of good which is always our aim.

"We then have the option of watering again next week. The rain in the past has always been less than forecast, though two trainers have already rung me to say what we are doing is 'bonkers'."

"I was one of those trainers," Knight retorted. "I'm not keen on watering anyway as it produces false ground and we shouldn't play around with nature. It is a championship meeting with championship races and should be run on good ground – the best horses have a good action and those that like the mud have already had their chances this season. Look at what happened at the big York meeting about five or six years ago when they watered. It then rained and it was disastrous."

Timmy Murphy, the rider Beef Or Salmon, increasingly regarded as the one most likely to topple Best Mate, is also hoping for good ground and said: "He's been running on ground he doesn't really handle. I've always said from riding work at home that he's a good-ground horse, so the question is if he can take that form to good ground and improve on it. He definitely has to improve on what he's done so we just hope the ground will make that difference."

However, Michael Hourigan, Beef Or Salmon's trainer, was less concerned. "I'm not worried about the ground for him," he said. "Whether it's good, soft or heavy, it won't make any difference."

Mild temperatures are forecast for next week, with occasional rain. The following week, when the Festival is staged on the 11, 12 and 13 March, is likely to be fairly dry.

Another Irish trainer, Jessica Harrington, whose Moscow Flyer is 3-1 favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase, was surprised by the decision but added: "I don't know how much rain they've had in England but it wouldn't take much to make it soft again. The going is not that important to Moscow Flyer, but I wouldn't want it heavy even though he's won on it."

Jimmy FitzGerald, a Cheltenham Gold Cup winning trainer, sends out his last runners from his Norton, near Malton yard, this week before handing over to his son, Tim. FitzGerald, 67, who has two runners at Wetherby today and entries at Doncaster on Friday, said: "I don't know if tomorrow's will be my last runners. Tim takes over on 1 March."

Connections of Davids Lad have decided to appeal against the 42-day ban imposed by the Naas stewards on Sunday. The suspension rules Davids Lad out of the Grand National.