Dear Mrs Martina Růžičková,

From your open letter, it can be seen that you [the more formal ‘vy’ is used, and not ‘ty’] clearly did not participate in any of the end-of-season meetings of the Association of Czech Trainers and Riders, or the Czech Steeplechase Association, at which issues and comments on the previous season are raised and discussed, and conditions for the next season are proposed.

What is even sadder, you apparently do not subscribe to the Journal of Czech Horseracing, or you did not acquaint yourself with the content of Supplementary Provisions for 2015, where section 8 (c) states that penalties for cross-country steeplechases are calculated separately from  the penalties for other types of jumps races. The relevant issue of the Journal came out on 28.1.2015, and it is alarming that you, as a professional trainer, did not take note until 12.5.2015 of the changes that have been operating since the beginning of this season.

At this point, a short historical digression is needed: in the past, penalties for hurdles races and for steeplechases were calculated separately. However, after Paracchini [trained by Josef Váňa snr.] (which had recently won a Listed race over hurdles at Merano) won a classical oval-track steeplechase at Karlovy Vary on 5.8.2007, by a distance, easing up, it was considered logical from the 2008 season onwards to merge the penalties for all races over fences, since the difference between hurdles races (in Italy siepi) and classical steeplechases  is in fact minimal [it is true that the classical steeplechase course at Pardubice and the siepi course at Merano are basically similar in type]. In 2014, [trainer] Radek Holčák pointed out that the transition for successful horses from easy hurdles and fences to the obstacles in tough cross-country steeplechases is difficult, and leads to unnecessary injuries to horses and riders. Other trainers and owners joined in with the criticism and, as a result, it was voted at the General Meeting of the Czech Steeplechase Association, which was held in December 2014, for the reasons given above, to separate penalties for cross-country races, on the one hand, from penalties for hurdles races and classical steeplechases, on the other. A  considerable number of trainers, especially trainers of jumps horses, were present and were able to vote. From this point of view, your claim to be the spokesperson for “most owners and trainers” is incorrect and even offensive.

It should  be mentioned that the Jockey Club of the Czech Republic is based on democratic  principles, whereby the majority decides. You yourself (and those for whom you  claim to speak) have the opportunity to be members of the Association of Czech Trainers and Riders (AČTJ) or the Czech Steeplechase Association (ČASCH), or the Czech Association of Thoroughbred Breeders and Racehorse Owners (ČSCHPMDK), and to put forward your views for the coming season, discuss them and vote for them, and to stand as candidates for the organs of this organization, e.g. the Council of the Jockey Club of the Czech Republic. In sport, it really is not possible to change the rules in mid season.

Committee of the AČTJ (Josef Váňa snr., Ing. Oliva Horová, Filip Neuberg, Jaroslav Myška, Dalibor Török, Jan Demele, Ing. Václav Luka jnr. Michal Lisek) 

This is of course a vigorous and well-argued response to Martina’s Open Letter. We should all have read the small print, and it is true that the recommendations of the AČTJ were reached by a democratic process. Nevertheless, there is a well-justified sense among the little people in Czech racing that the recent changes throughout the management structure of Czech racing - documented in the monthly newsletters on this website - represent a coup by a group of rich owners (and their trainers and representatives), and that the interests of the small  owners and trainers are being eroded.

This reflects a general feeling in society that the rich are getting richer and are using their power in their own interest, and are leaving the little people further and further behind.

The changes in the penalties for jumps racing are having a bad impact on little trainers and owners. They benefit the owners and trainers of a small  number of top hurdlers and classical steeplechasers, which are tipped to take many of the leading places in more than one Category IV crosscountry steeplechase at Pardubice on Saturday and until the end of the season.