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Monday 9 March 2009

The going could be soft for the first day of the Cheltenham Festival if forecast rain arrives. Clerk of the course Simon Claisse said on Sunday: "We are experiencing a showery day today and it will be the same again tomorrow, which will give us four or five millimetres of rain.

"Monday night into Tuesday, a rain band will move through giving us five or six millimetres, so overall we are looking at up to 10 millimetres before racing starts on Tuesday. If we get five or six millimetres on Tuesday morning then that could swing the ground round to soft.

"Wednesday will be showery but there won't be a lot of rain in the showers. Thursday will be getting warmer with a few showers and then it will be dry on Friday with temperatures around 13 degrees.''

Nicky henderson is still mulling over running Imperial Cup winner Dave's Dream in Friday's Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle, where victory would see the six-year-old pick up a £75,000 bonus.

Henderson told PA Sport: "He was very fresh and well this morning, and is inviting me to do something that I wouldn't normally.

"Barry said he didn't have a hard race and he was so well this morning. I am very tempted to run him as the bonus is very good. It is a very generous £75,000, which is a lot of money, and it makes it a £150,000 race for us.

"I do like these bonuses but I don't see this horse as a handicap hurdler - he is a chaser so the bonus is setting me a dilemma.

"I will have to sit and have a think about whether to run. The race isn't until Friday so there is plenty of time to make a decision."