RACING: Confidence was rising among the Cheltenham authorities yesterday that perfect jumping ground will be on offer for the start of the festival in two weeks' time.
The official going at the track yesterday was "good to soft" with a qualifier of there being some soft patches scattered around the course.
However, connections of those horses who relish give in the ground are likely to be disappointed on the big day.
"The aim is for good ground or just a little easier and at the moment it looks like we're going to have that without having to interfere," reported the clerk of the course Simon Claisse.
"The forecast is for nine to 10 millimetres of precipitation this week, either rain or snow, but then we're supposed to get a dry week next week and it will turn a bit warmer," he added.
"But as we all know things can change. There was snow in Kent last night that wasn't forecast at all."
Overall, however, the bulletin will be nothing but good news for Kicking King's trainer Tom Taaffe who is still holding fire on making a call on which festival target his stable star will run in.
Kicking King is as low as 5 to 1 with some firms for the Gold Cup but the King George hero also holds entries in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the newly installed Daily Telegraph Chase.
"I have to check out a few things and the guarantee of good ground will be a big thing. There is also a piece of work I want to get out of the way," Taaffe said yesterday.
"I talked to Simon Claisse 10 days ago and was very happy with what I heard. But I will be talking to him again," he added.
Ireland's other main Gold Cup contender Beef Or Salmon will undertake his latest piece of work today and is likely to then visit a racecourse on Friday for another gallop.
"He's in good form and will work in the morning here at home. He worked well last Tuesday and things seem to be going nicely," said his trainer Michael Hourigan.
The Dermot Weld-trained Queen Astrid is set to run at Limerick on Thursday in what could be a final warm-up ahead of the Sun Alliance Hurdle.
Queen Astrid, winner of her sole hurdles start to date, is as low as 14 to 1 in some places for Cheltenham, but has missed her last two intended starts, including at Punchestown last Sunday which was lost to the weather.
She is in Thursday's Murray-O'Laoire Mares Hurdle and Weld said yesterday: "All being well she'll run at Limerick. That's the next stop and we'll get it out of the way before deciding about anything else."
Weld, whose sole festival success to date came with Rare Holiday's 1990 Triumph Hurdle, also has another highly rated novice in Akshar who is high in some lists for the Letheby & Christopher Supreme Novices' Hurdle.
However, the Curragh trainer said: "There is no decision about Akshar. He is a top-of-the-ground horse and the way the going is at the moment there is no point in thinking about him."
Rare Holiday's half brother Loyal Focus remains in betting lists for both the Triumph and the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap after being beaten in his last start at Fairyhouse. "He has come out well from that race but that's as good as he probably is. He will have to improve a lot," said Weld.
The interactive betting company Blue Square are the new sponsor of the opening day of the Curragh's Irish Derby festival weekend.
They will sponsor four of the races including the newly-installed Balanchine Stakes.
