Royal Ascot started on Tuesday on ground described as Good to Firm, Good in places before changing to Good to Firm all over ahead of race five, the Ascot Handicap.
Chris Stickels, Ascot’s Clerk of the Course, said: “I am pleased with the way Day 1 has gone. It has been a hot, drying day and the ground changed to Good to Firm after the fourth race.
“It will continue to dry and we are going to put on four millimetres of water on the whole course tonight (Tuesday) to replace the moisture that has been lost today through evapotranspiration. We anticipate very similar conditions on Wednesday and I expect the ground to be Good to Firm again.
“It does look like we are in for an unsettled period with some thunderstorms on Wednesday night and through Thursday and Friday; it’s a bit changeable and unpredictable at the moment. But we need to keep the ground safe, and just replacing the moisture lost today is the right thing to do.”
