An Irish-trained three times runner in the Aintree Grand National is entered for the Velka Pardubicka

(This article, written by our Dostihový svět editor-in-chief Petr Guth, first appeared in Czech language on September 24th, 2024)

This year’s Velka Pardubicka has the potential to attract plenty of attention in the British Isles and in Ireland, as today’s entries for our race include the name of Coko Beach, trained  for Ryanair owner Michael O’Leary by Irish trainer Gordon Elliott.  However, unlike last year’s outclassed Irish runners, Jet Fighter and Alpha Male, trained by Peter Maher, Coko Beach is clearly considered a high-quality chaser, as documented by his three runs in the Liverpool Grand National and his third place in this year’s La Touche Cup crosscountry steeplechase.

Gordon Elliott’s horse only started running this year over the banks course at Punchestown, with its series of Irish banks that marks out horses that might be suitable to run at a crosscounty racecourse like Pardubice, and he took a win and a third place in his two crosscountry outings. The controversial trainer, whose licence was was taken away for a year in 2021 for bringing horseracing into disrepute, could now become the greatest international star trainer at Pardubice racecourse in recent years, if Coko Beach wins this year’s 134^th running of the Velka.

Two other horses entered from abroad qualified in Ireland for the Velka. Nine-year-old Jeremy Pass is shrouded in mystery. He won a point-to-point this year at Ballindenisk, and then won a flat race at Listowel, before changing his owner and his trainer. He now officially has an American trainer, Joseph G. Davies, and his owner is Joy V. Slater, who twice rode the winner of the Maryland Hunt Cup. Jeremy Pass has no registered  results in the United States, and but seems that some purpose must lie behind his entry for the Velka Pardubicka with a new team of connections!

The third Irish representative is Streets of Doyen, another of the runners in this year’s La Touche Cup. John McConell’s horse did not finish the race at Punchestown, bur since the Punchestown festival has has run in four more races, in which he finished between fourth and seventh place.

In terms of official ratings, Coko Beach is far ahead of the other two. His latest rating is 158 pounds, while Streets of Doyen is on 127, and Jeremy Pass is on the same mark on the basis of his last run in a steeplechase, in 2023. For a comparison, the latest rating for last year’s Irish runner in the Velka, Jet Fighter, was a mere 88. It is clear that this year’s Irish entries for the Velka Pardubicka are considerably higher-quality horses.