Press Release of the Jockey Club of the Czech Republic

10 April 2015

Mercedes-Benz will be the general partner of the Jockey Club of the Czech Republic, and will sponsor major races in the 2015 season

The management of the Jockey Club of the Czech Republic has acquired a distinguished partner for racing in the Czech Republic. Mercedes-Benz will be our partner for the following races and race meetings:

1. Sunday 21 June 2015 – Prague Velká Chuchle racecourse – 95th Mercedes-Benz Czech Derby

2. Saturday 18 July 2015 – Most racecourse – 70th running of the Severní Energetická OAKS, under the patronage of Mercedes-Benz

3. Monday 28 September 2015 – Karlovy Vary racecourse - Mercedes-Benz racing day – Winter Queen Stakes

4. Wednesday 28 October 2015 – Slušovice - Mercedes-Benz Velká Slušovická Steeplechase

Mercedes-Benz has been involved in equestrianism for a considerable period of time, and is now enriching its portfolio with the Jockey Club of the Czech Republic. Ronald Ballhaus, general director of Mercedes-Benz, informed us “Mercedes-Benz has been a long-term parter for equestrianism in the Czech Republic and elsewhere. Alongside Fashion Weekend and golf, equestrian sport is one of the main areas in which Mercedes-Benz directs its marketing efforts all over the world. Since Mercedes-Benz is no novice in this field, the path to equestrian sport here was a logical step. Since 2013, the company has been the main partner for the Czech Showjumping Cup, the biggest series of events in Czech showjumping. We are happy that we can get involved in another sport in this branch , and be the general partner of the Jockey Club of the Czech Republic. Racing is a beautiful sport, but it  unfortunately does not attract such big crowds here as it does abroad. With our support, we want to help in presenting the sport here.“

Basic facts about the 2015 horseracing season

12 racecourses – Race meetings will be held at 12 racecourses this year. The largest number of race days will be at Prague Velká Chuchle (20). There will be ten days at Pardubice, six days each at Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad), Most, and Lysá nad Labem. Four days are planned for Slušovice, three for Brno and also for Kolesa, in east Bohemia. After a break of four years, Mimoň will return to the Czech racing map. There will be two meetings there in July, next to the local stud farm. There will be one meeting each at Benešov, at Světlá Hora and at Netolice, in south Bohemia.

50 milion crowns – The  total prizemoney paid out for all races held in the Czech Republic in 2015 should reach fifty million crowns, which will be the largest amount since 2011. We have managed to raise the prize money for top category races, which will be run for a minimum of 135 000 crowns this year. For Listed races, the prize money will be 550 000 crowns and more. The prize money for the Velka Pardubicka qualification races will be 400 000 crowns this year, and will be divided among the first seven past the post.

63 racing days – The season began on April 5th, and will continue uninterrupted each weekend until November 7th, when the last day will be held at Kolesa, near Kladruby nad Labem.

1440 horses – 1440 racehorses are being prepared in Czech yards. They will run not only on the Czech courses, but also abroad. This year we have already celebrated eight wins abroad, two on the flat in France, and six over fences in Italy. Horse racing currently provides employment for almost a thousand people, which makes the sport a significant provider of jobs in the Czech Republic.

35,3 milion crowns – Horses trained in the Czech Republic won a total of 35.3 million crowns abroad last year, the highest amount since 2006. More than 6  million crowns, one third of all the prize money paid out in Slovakia, came to the Czech Republic. In terms of money that was won, Czech horses were most successful in Italy, from where they brought home 12.6 million crowns, and they also managed to win 10.8 million crowns in France.

International activities – Since last year, the Jockey Club of the Czech Republic has been much more active in the international structures of horse racing. Within the framework of the organization of racing in central Europe, successful efforts have been made to coordinate the dates of the most important races in each of the countries. The pair of new Czech handicappers has been charged with unifying the Czech ratings with those elsewhere, with a view to forming more intensive International contacts.

16 television transmissions and weekly Turf Magazine programmes on Czech Television – Czech Television is a traditional partner of Czech racing. This year there will be racing on the television screen at least 16 times, either direct or recorded (the first transmission was on the first day of the season, when the Gomba Handicap was shown from Prague Velká Chuchle). The half-hour Turf Magazine programme, providing a survey of what is going on in Czech racing, will be screened every week. Each edition will be shown for the first time on Wednesday afternoon. Last year, more than 1.2 million viewers watched the Velka Pardubicka on Czech Television (on channel ČT 1 and on ČT Sport).

High points of the 2015 season

May 3rd – Czech 1000 Guineas (for fillies) - 550 000 crowns – first classic race of the season

May 10th – Czech 2000 Guineas – 700 000 crowns – first race for the triple crown of classic races

June 21st – Mercedes-Benz Czech Derby – 2.5 million crowns – top flat race of the year

July 19th – Czech Oaks – 550 000 crowns – for fillies, over the Derby distance

August 30th – Czech St. Leger – 550 000 – the longest of the season’s classic races

September 26th – Leram European Jockeys Cup – an innovation this season, with richly sponsored races

September 28th – Mercedes-Benz Winter Queen Stakes – 550 000 crowns – the top race for 2-y-o fillies

October 11th – 125th Velka Pardubicka  with Ćeska Pojišťovna – 5 million crowns

October 18th – Winter Favourite Stakes – the most prestigious flat race for 2-y-os

October 25th – President of the Republic’s Prize – the longest flat race. A race with a rich tradition, held at the end of the season

Contacts for the Jockey Club of the Czech Republic:

Ing. Martina Krejčí, Ph. D., e-mail: sekretariat@dostihy.cz, mobile: 725 930 410

Petr Malík, e-mail: petr.bda@seznam.cz, mobile: 724 348 777