February 2015 has been another very mild month. This is our second successive year without a proper winter, though of course it is far too soon to start writing the history of winter 2014/2015. Here in Prague, there has been spring in the air during the daytime, though at night we have had light frosts. We have had almost no snow, slush, mud or any of the other aspects of winter that I object to.

Up in the mountains, I am told, the ski resorts have not had a bad February. Colleagues have been enjoying their weekend skiing, and Czech television shows happy faces in the ski resorts. Czech schools all have a week off in midwinter, and many kids go to the mountains on a school trip or with their family. In order to spread the load for the ski resorts, different regions and districts have different weeks for the school winter holiday, and they are spread over a total of about six weeks. Skiing holidays, typically with spartan living conditions, a lot of fresh air and a lot of exercise, are a part of the way of life, and are still not unaffordable for moderately affluent Czech families.

Only a few Czech-trained horses have run, outside the country, in February. Trainer Pavel Tuma took two hurdlers to run at the White Turf meeting at Sankt Moritz (Switzerland). Unfortunately, they took the last two places and were well beaten. However, Czech jockey Milan Zatloukal, one of our best flat race jockeys over the last number of years, had a number of rides and very narrowly failed to win the title of  leading jockey at St. Moritz for 2015. Milan rode over hurdles, too, I think for the first time. He received quite an attractive offer to remain in Switzerland, but has decided to return to the Czech Republic for the coming season, and ride again for trainer Filip Neuberg. He will surely get a lot of rides on the flat here this season, and if he decides to ride over fences there will be no shortage of owners and trainers who will want him on their horses.

Josef Váňa sent some horses to run at Pisa (Italy). Big Mago had been a big disappointment since winning the 3-y-o hurdle race at Pardubice on Velka Pardubicka day in 2013, but he won a race at Pisa. The other Czech-trained winner was at Chantilly (France), where Simply Ozzy, trained by Václav Luka, jnr., won a seller, with very nice prizemoney by our standards. Simply Ozzy was the surprise winner of our Czech Two Thousand Guineas this year, so it is not surprising that he was bought by a French owner at the auction after the race. In addition, trainer Filip Neuberg sent a horse to run at Dortmund (Germany).

We can look forward to more Czech runners, abroad, in the month before the beginning of our new season. Our owners and trainers will recall that Simply Ozzy’s win in the Two Thousand Guineas came after he ran and won at Chantilly in February a year ago, and may try giving their hopes for the classics an outing in March.

The Czech horseracing websites are getting busy with pre-season interviews with trainers. All of the trainers are, at least superficially, optimistic, of course. However, I find myself asking how a trainer can possibly hope to make a living, with all her or his expenses, when training such a small number of frankly unpromising horses. No doubt, there will be one or two who have a good season, thanks to one of two of their horses turning out to be a lot better than expected.

For me, the most interesting news has been about Greg Wroblewski, trainer of Orphée des Blins, winner of the last three runnings of the Velka Pardubicka. Greg left his position as private trainer for Pegas at the end of the last season, and spent a month or two at Velké Meziříčí, near to Zhoř, where he had trained before. He has now moved to Levín, not far from Prague, where plenty of space is available. The Levin stables are owned by the Balcar family, who are linked with trotting (when Velká Chuchle racecourse was flooded in 2002, the second half of the trotting season was held at the Levín training centre). The facilities are being adapted for the needs of a top trainer over fences and on the flat. Greg would probably still be able to find space for a couple of good chasers.        

I have recently been translating some publicity materials for the Jockey Club and for the organizers of racing at Prague Velká Chuchle. These materials point out the advantages of owning a horse, sponsoring a race, organizing your corporate hospitality, etc., at one of our racecourses. Our four major courses, Prague Velká Chuchle, Pardubice, Most and Karlovy Vary, are accustomed to offering good conditions for corporate hospitality, and can be recommended. The smaller courses, which hold only a limited number of racing days each year, will be happy to put up a marquee and ensure that there is something for you and your guests to eat and drink. If you write to me at Robin.Arthur.Healey@cvut.cz I will be happy to put you in touch with the appropriate people.

For individual racegoers, there are good conditions at all of the courses if you just pay entry at the gate (except on Velká Pardubicka day, when racegoers who have come a long way specially for the racing will get a much better view if they buy a grandstand seat in advance). At Velká Chuchle, Pardubice and Most, there are membersʼ clubs that offer food and drink and a particularly good view of the racing. It can be arranged for you to be signed it, at a very reasonable price by international standards. Again, do e-mail me for contacts.          

We are now just five weeks away from the beginning of our racing season, with the first month held mainly on Sunday afternoons at Prague Velká Chuchle. The first race is at 2 pm, and Velká Chuchle railway station is opposite the main entrance to the stadium – take the train from the Main Station at 20 minutes or 50 minutes after the hour. The second stop, after 12 minutes, is Velká Chuchle.

When I began writing this, the horseracing season still seemed far away, but now I am happy to realize that it is just round the corner. Do come and join us. Horse racing around the world welcomes visitors, and you will definitely be welcome at any Czech racecourse.