On a warm day and on good-to-firm ground, Trezor confirmed that he is still the master of the Velka Pardubicka qualification races. On June 28^th, he won his fifth qualification race in five attempts, all of them run in midsummer conditions, often on harder ground and in even hotter weather than last Saturday. The trouble is that he has failed, in each of the past three years, to show anything like the same form in the race that really matters - the Velka Pardubicka -  on the second weekend in October.

Trainer Hana Kabelková is so upset by this series of events that Trezor was not entered for the 2014 Velka, and was not intended to run in the qualification race. The intention had been to run him at Strasbourg in June, but the plans fell through. Even now, Trezor is expected to run his next race in France.

This did not appear to be one of Trezor’s greatest wins in a qualification race. He was at or near the front all round, but Zarif led into the finishing straight, there was quite a battle before Trezor got ahead and won by three-quarters of a length. Kasim, fourth in the 2013 VP, took third place. 12 of the 20 runners got round and fulfilled the qualification requirements for the big race. Trezor was ridden by Ondřej Velek, who is now well-established as a jumps rider. This was his first win in a Listed race. He is currently working in Switzerland, but seems to be able to get back for the meetings at Pardubice.

In the other races, Goscater won the Category II cross-country chase over 4500 metres, from Modena and Tiumen. Triple VP winner Tiumen, now 13 years old, was given a very easy race by his 60-year-old jockey and trainer, Josef Váňa. This pair of veterans got round safely and came from a long way back to finish third.

Tudul, a 6-y-o gelding owned by Wrbna Racing, trained by Čestmir Olehla and ridden by  Ondřej Velek, won the Category I Válečník June Chase, over 3300 metres.

 It was revealed after the race that Trezor lost a plate in the course of the race, but that his sensitive hooves, injured in the 2013 VP, seem to be OK. It will be a pity for the VP if Trezor does not compete in the race on October 12^th.

 The next meeting at Pardubice is on Saturday July 26^th. The features races will be a Category II cross-country race over 5 100 metres and a Category II classical steeplechase over 3 300 metres.