CLAISSE DELIGHTED WITH DAY ONE 
  
After racing on the first day of The November Meeting, Simon Claisse, Cheltenham's clerk of the course, said: "I am delighted with the way things have gone this afternoon. I'm told by the form experts - the handicappers and RUK - that the times equated to Good to Soft [the official going description today]; I am aware that there are a few other opinions around, but there always will be!

"The forecast for tonight is for temperatures not to drop below three or four degrees and we are not expecting any rain.

"Tomorrow the outlook is dry, with the chance of the lightest of showers at some stage during the afternoon, so I will leave the ground as Good to Soft overnight and review it again tomorrow morning.

"We should bear in mind that in October [for The Showcase Meeting] after we had opened the ground up on day one, it did ride slower on day two, so that may happen again when we reassess in the morning."