The top Czech horses of 2014, based on a questionnaire organized by the Jockey Club of the Czech Republic, were announced at the 20^th Czech Horseracing Gala Evening, held in Prostějov on January 17^th.  There were no surprises in the results. Orphée des Blins, winner of the Velka Pardubicka for the third year in succession, was duly voted steeplechaser of the year and horse of the year. Other prizes:  

Czech bred horse of the year and stayer of the year: Aztek

2-y-o colt: Sirius Shine

2-y-o filly: Zamira

3-y-o colt: Cheeky Chappie

3-y-o filly: Najinska,

Best older horse: Trip to Rhodos

Best sprinter: Mikesh

Best miler: Chardonney Tcheque

Best hurdler: Brog Deas.

Aztek won 5 of his 6 races, including the Czech Turf Grand Prix at Velká Chuchle in September and the President of the Republic’s Prize, also at Velká Chuchle, in October.

Sirius Shine won the 76^th running of the Leram Winter Favourite Prize at Velká Chuchle in October.

Zimira won the St Wenceslaus Winter Queen Prize at Karlovy Vary in September.

Cheeky Chappie won both the Czech Derby and the Czech St. Leger at Velká Chuchle, in both cases coming from last place at end of the last turn and getting up in the last 10 metres.

Najinska won the 66^th Alavis Spring Prize for Fillies (One Thousand Guineas) at VelkáChuchle in May, and also won the Pat’s Music Prize at Bratislava on Derby Day.

Trip to Rhodos won a Listed race at Milano in May, and ran very respectably in some tough races in France.

Mikesh won 3 of his 9 races, but his best performance was at Berlin Hoppegarten, where he was beaten by just a neck by Elcohuaz in the Hoppegartener Fliegerpreis, a Listed sprint.   

Chardonney Tcheque won 3 of his 4 races this season, including two of our top mile races at Velká Chuchle.

Brog Deas, as a 5-y-o, came over from Ireland in 2014 and won twice classical chases very impressively at Pardubice. He then went on to win Graded 1 hurdles races at Merano and at Milano in the autumn. He is widely referred to as the new Royal Mougins, and is well on the way toward deserving that honour.

Three very distinguished servants of Czech racing also received richly-deserved awards for long-term services: Eva Chaloupková, horseracing secretary at Velka Chuchle since 1991, and before that at Slu

ovice; Věra Plachá, who has brought the Czech thoroughbred breeding register up to international standard and kept it there; Milan Tůma, who has retired after being the official handicapper for many years (and it seems he is not easy to replace).