Town of Pardubice Stakes – 1^st qualification race for the 132^nd running of the Velka Pardubicka with Slavia Insurance

Crosscountry steeplechase – category National Listed - 5800 metres, stakes, 5-y-o and older
CZK 400.000 (200000 - 92000 - 60000 - 28000 - 20000)
going : 3.5 (good)

 Time: 07 min. 37.52 sec.
Verdict: nose-5-3-5-3/4-1/2-2 1/4-2 1/4-distance-17
Trainer: Zdeněk Mimra

video

The first of the four qualification races for this year’s 132^nd running of the Velka Pardubicka was held on May 21^st. It was a cool afternoon, and the going was good. The course was in good condition, the ploughed fields were moderately dusty. Eleven horses took this opportunity to qualify for the big race. There were two past winners of the VP in the race: 13-y-o No Time To Lose and 12-y-o Theophilos, both of which are trained by Josef Váňa, senior. Stretton, Mr Spex, Del Rey, Player and No Time To Lose set a reasonable pace. After the Garden Fences, the horses were all together in a bunch. Theophilos went to the head of the field, with Stretton and Player also running prominently. No Time To Lose dropped back to the rear of the bunch. All horses jumped safely, though Star lost ground a couple of times. When the horses emerged from behind the copse with seven more jumps to take, Paris Eiffel and Chicname de Cotte had begun to drop back, and No Time To Lose was out of contention. By the second-last fence, Theophilos looked comfortable. Stretton, Player and Del Rey seemed unlikely to trouble him, and the others were some way behind. At the last fence, Stretton, in second place, was dropping back, and Player did not put in a challenge. Unfancied Del Rey had some ground to make up. In the last 100 metres, Del Rey, running down the centre of the course, put in a run, but Theophilos, on the inside, seemed safe enough. When they passed the post, it seemed that Theophilos had just held on, but the camera showed that Del Rey, ridden by Jakub Kocman, had stuck out his nose and had got ahead in the final stride.  No Time To Lose came from some way back to finish third.

All eleven runners achieved their primary task, which was to get round safely and qualify for the VP. The qualification races are again run for CZK 400 000 this year, after having reduced prizemoney in the Covid years. The achievements of Del Rey, jockey Jakub Kocman and trainer Zdeněk Mimra were lifetime bests. Theophilos, which had finished 2^nd in the May 1^st Steeplechase at Lysá, had a good outing, but his syndicate of owners will have been disappointed that their horse did not win.