Fans of steeplechasing should certainly experience the Velka Pardubicka at least once in their lifetime. Pardubice racecourse, 100 km east of Prague, was opened in 1840, and was based on the way Aintree racecourse was at that time. The Velka Pardubicka, run over 6900 metres, still retains some of the features of a nineteenth century crosscountry chase, with horses running over ploughed fields, taking three water jumps, a double fence, a drop and plenty of other obstacles. The 4^th, 5^th and 6^th obstacles are the big Taxis Ditch, only ever jumped in the Velka Pardubicka itself, the Irish Bank, and then the Popkovice Turn, where the horses make a 90-degree turn. There are 31 obstacles, each of which is taken only once.

The 125^th running of the Velka Pardubicka will take place on Sunday, October 11^th, 2015, and there is also a race meeting - over fences this year - at Pardubice on Saturday October 10^th. Pardubice is a one-hour train ride from Prague, and there is nowadays a very good, frequent  and inexpensive train service between Prague and Pardubice.  

Central Europe also offers two other very attractive weekend programmes for fans of racing over fences. Steeplechasing at Wroclaw racecourse, in Poland, has been strongly revived in the last three years. The main meeting of the season at Wroclaw features the Wielka Partynicka, over hurdles, on Saturday, September 5^th and the Wielka Wroclawska Steeplechase, on Sunday, September 6^th. Last year, the two main races were won by Czech-trained horses, Jam Taki and Makler. The Czechs will surely be back in force again this year.

One of the most beautiful racecourses in the world is at Merano, in northern Italy, directly beneath the Dolomites. Merano is a wonderful spa town that specializes in caring for valetudinarians, i.e. (wealthy old) people who are anxious about their health. The 76^th running of the Gran Premio Merano still offers the best prizemoney in Central Europe for a steeplechase. In each of the last two years, the race has been won by Alpha Two, trained in the Czech Republic by Josef Váňa senior and ridden by Josef Váňa junior. This year, the race will be run on Sunday 27 September. According to the Merano Maia website, there will also be a major racing day at Merano this year on Saturday, September 26^th, which will include the crosscountry race in the Crystal Cup series.

Each of these three race meetings is held in a region that is well worth an extended visit. Consider planning a long weekend visit to include more than just horseracing.