Josef Bartoš is celebrating his first jockeys’ championship title in Italy. However the postponed decision on a disqualification at Milan may turn out, his win on Barnabo in the last race of the jumps racing season on December 17^th means that the Czech jockey does not have to wait any longer. The years of Raffaele Romano’s domination are over, and after Czech guests took success away from the Italians for the second successive year in their greatest steeplechase [Josef Váňa jnr has won the Gran Premio at Merano in each of the last two seasons on Alpha Two] a Czech jockey has now won the Italian championship. Bartoš himself points out that his success in southern Europe means a lot to him.

“This is one of the biggest successes of my career, there’s no doubt about that,” he says. “I’m very happy that it has worked out. I take it not just as the result of work I’ve done this year, but as a result of all these ten years that I’ve been going to ride in Italy.  You have to work a long time to make your name. You gradually break through, and then in the end you can have a success like this,” he adds.

“That final day of the season at Grosseto on December 17^th was not straightforward for me. It didn’t begin well. Before the first race I had a fall at the trial jump, and then we were beaten narrowly into second place,” Bartoš comments. “When we then finished third behind the Czech horses in the next race, I wasn’t too sure that we were going to get anything out of it.”

Bartoš’s lack of confidence came from his recent experience on Barnabo at the beginning of a race on similar ground. “It was cut up and soft, exactly the way it had been last time out, when he didn’t like it, so I was not very confident. However, in this race he scored full marks. We had hardly any problems, and in the finishing straight he did what was needed. Of course, I was very happy with him. He gave me a nice surprise.”
Czech flat jockeys Petr Foret, Vendula Korečková and Jaromír Šafář, currently working for trainer Paolo Favero in the biggest yard for jumpers in Italy, shared in this pleasant surprise. “I’m informed that everyone in the yard is working hard to keep the horses at the same level as they were when Raffaele Romano [the top jumps jockey in Italy in recent years] was there, and it seems that they are succeeding. The question is what kind of people Mr Favero will get for the horses when our flat racing season begins [next April],” Josef Bartoš says.
According to the information that he has, Raffaele Romano will not return to Favero, and will start training in Italy and riding his own horses. “According to their rules, he will not be allowed to ride any other horses. He is no longer with Mr Favero, and I was offered his position. However, we agreed that I would continue just to ride for Mr Favero. I didn’t want to go and stay in Italy. I’ve reached a certain age [Bartoš is about 35], and I have a family and other responsibilities, so we came to an agreement.”

As number one jockey for the strongest Italian jumps racing yard, he has interesting prospects for the coming season. However, he may not be there for this year’s winning ceremony. “I don’t even know how the championship title award is made. There used to be a ceremony during the races at Rome, but steeplechasing has closed down there, so I really don’t know,” Bartoš explains. With or without a ceremony, however, he can already start celebrating his Italian champion’s title.