Strömsholm in Sweden is the most northerly destination that horses from the Czech Republic have set out for in recent years. The home of the Swedish Grand National is again this year the target for an expedition from the Czech Republic. Trainer Stanislav Popelka has this year sent out the biggest Czech expedition ever to have headed north. Last Sunday, four horses set off on an almost two-day journey. Since previous years have shown that Czech runners are not necessarily without a chance against the Nordic horses, it will surely be interesting on Saturday to follow how the Czech emissaries will do on the unique Swedish course …

“Why are we taking four horses? Well, it’s a long trip, and when we decided to go there, we decided to have a horse in each of the four races over fences that are being run there,” the trainer explains. He is setting out on Thursday with his jockey, Marek Stromský, to catch up with the horses. “We know a bit about the conditions in Sweden from previous years, so we decided to set out quite early, to let the horses have a rest after the journey. It’s quite a long haul for them, after all,” he adds.

The team of Hawa Bali, Songster, Scalando and Marcus Aurelius has something to build on in Sweden – last year Godea took second place in the main race of the afternoon, and Hawa Bali managed to win one of the other steeplechases. However, Popelka has a feeling that it surely won’t be a stroll in the rose garden for the Czech emissaries. “For sure, the top Nordic chasers will be at the start. Last year’s winner, Gelon, won’t be there, but trainer Persson has three runners in the Grand National, and there will be Silk Drum, which ran twice at Pardubice last autumn. We know it won’t be easy,” Czech horseracing’s northern explorer points out.

Popelka’s horses are still waiting for their first winner in the Czech Republic this year, but the trainer is cautiously optimistic for the races in Sweden. “What would be a satisfactory outcome for us in Sweden?  Ideally, all our horses should be placed in their races, and then they will get back home in good shape,” says the trainer. His horses have already completed the first part of their task: they have arrived at the course.

“From what we’ve heard, everything is OK with them. For a journey like that, you need horses that travel really well. We couldn’t have travelled with Modena, for example. Even the two-hour journey to Pardubice makes her lose weight. With a horse like that, there’s no point thinking about Sweden,“ the trainer adds.

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 translated from the Czech language pages of Dostihový svět. Written by Petr Guth