11/03/2008 09:00:00
The fate of this year's Cheltenham Festival was left in doubt yesterday after the world famous racecourse was hit by heavy storms that plagued the south of England.
According to The Telegraph, organisers of the annual National Hunt Festival were working to repair heavy storm damage to one of the event's hospitality marquees, which was blown over by 50mph winds.
Fortunately, Cheltenham Racecourse itself was not affected by the storms, but officials claim that damages to the hospitality area are so severe that spectators may have to be accommodated elsewhere if organisers fail to restore the structure.
The Times reports that precautions were taken following the weather forecast as staff worked to protect the most vulnerable areas of the racetrack prior to the storm, removing the roof of the Guinness grandstand and packing away the thousands of glasses that graced dining tables in the tented village.
The four-day festival opens at the celebrated Gloucestershire racecourse today (Tuesday March 11), with 230, 000 people expected to attend the event in total. In a statement made on Monday, Edward Gillespie, managing director of the Cheltenham Festival, said:
"The racecourse is 100% fine but we have taken damage elsewhere. It's all down to severe wind damage. It was quite substantial.
"We're now taking it hour by hour. I'm confident we will be opening on time and the races will start at 2pm."
It is anticipated that more than £500 million will be wagered on the 25 races that take place at the Cheltenham Festival, which concludes with the Gold Cup on Friday.