Two horses trained in Ireland by Peter Maher have been sent over to the Czech Republic to prepare for the Velka Pardubicka. They will both run in a Category II crosscountry steeplechase at Pardubice on Saturday, September 2^nd, and the plan is that they will stay here until the Velka Pardubicka, which is on Sunday, October 8^th. The two horses will spend the interim period in the care of Greg Wroblewski, whose many claims to fame include the fact that he was the trainer of triple Velka Pardubicka winner Orphée des Blins.

The two Irish-trained horses are 12-y-o Alpha Male, which will be ridden on Saturday by Marek Stromský, and 6-y-o Jet Fighter, which will be ridden by Petr Tuma. Both of the Irish horses have already qualified for the Velka Pardubicka by completing a steeplechase within the last year over a distance of at least three miles in Ireland, and they have been entered for the Category II Právo Newspaper Stakes, over 4 500 metres. Both have run mainly at Punchestown this year.

The programme at Pardubice on September 2^nd also includes the Euro Equus IV Town of Pardubice Grand Prix, which is the last of the four qualification races for the Velka Pardubicka.  

Greg Wroblewski is currently again on the move, and will now be based at the training centre at Albertovec, where the two Irish horses will stay. He says “The Irish connections are interested in trying out the Velka Pardubicka. The aim is that they’ll have a trial in a race at Pardubice, they’ll evaluate it, and if everything goes according to plan the horses will stay in the Czech Republic in the stables with me, until the Velka Pardubicka. Together, we’ll be trying to get them to the starting line for the Velka.” His role is to be the Irish trainer’s extended arm Czech Republic.

“He’s quite a successful trainer in Ireland, and he chose me to collaborate with him. I don’t know why. Maybe because he likes the glasses that I wear, or maybe it’s because I know a thing or two about training,” Wroblewski jokes. “In any case, that’s the plan. You can’t train a horse to do a whole lot in a month, and I can’t claim that I am going to be training the horses myself for the Velka. The main thing will be to help their team to prepare the horses for the race and get the horses to the course without being stressed by too much travel.”

The Irish contenders will attract a lot of interest and goodwill. The race organisers will be very happy if they do well and add to the international prestige of the Velka Pardubicka.