Josef Váňa junior did not manage to defend his title as Czech champion jockey over fences, and was not able to repeat his win in the Gran Premio at Merano, but he gives a positive assessment of 2015. And why not, since he also played his part in the Váňa yard’s success with its three-year-olds on the flat, led by Derby winner, Touch of Genius.

“On the other side of the scales on which I’ve been weighing up this year’s racing season, there were some unpleasant injuries, too. It was the kind of year when there were times that things didn’t go right” Váňa admits. “I had a pretty unpleasant injury, and quite a long time off the racecourse, and then there were two pretty nasty falls, at Merano and at Pardubice, so it was definitely a painful year.”

However, today he is preparing horses the way he did before the injuries, though he knows the situation is not completely OK. “I still have some screws in my leg, and I’d like to have them taken out as soon as possible. Next week I have to go for a check-up, and then I may have a clear date when they’ll be taken out. I can do almost everything in work with them in, but you do feel them, and I’d certainly feel better without them,” says the man who has this year been the only jockey called Josef Váňa in the Czech horseracing statistics. 

For next year, this situation could change. In the December silly season, the mainstream media has latched onto a statement by Váňa snr, and on all sides his possible participation in the next Velka Pardubicka has been up in lights. How does the son of the famous father see things?

“Well, it did take us a bit by surprise, all the attention that it’s been getting. But why not, after all? If he feels up to it, why shouldn’t he ride? The big surprise for me is that the name of Rabbit Hawk Wing was given out. The horse is currently ridden by Honza Kratochvíl. But if dad’s interested, the boys will just have to get on with it,” Váňa jnr emphasizes. “Personally, I can better imagine him riding Zarif, which is the kind of horse that would definitely suit him,” he adds. 

As far as next year is concerned, Váňa junior is not working on the Velka Pardubicka yet. France is the challenge for him. “I’d certainly like to take more horses there. France is something that has to be tried, and I want to concentrate on France for next year. Even at the price of neglecting Italy a bit. Racing in France has a different sound to it,” he thinks.

The plans for France are not just for steeplechasing, but also for some horses on the flat. “I think those best three-year-olds of ours from this year should take a look at France [he presumably has in mind above all Touch of Genius and Tamarind Cove]. I want to find a race for them to try, and then we’ll see. I’d also like to find some more jumpers that could do as well as Fafinta.”

However, according to Váňa, Fafintadenient’s qualities are hard to emulate, and at the moment he does not see any similarly talented second horse to take jumping in France [Last year in April, Fafintadenient won a good race at Auteuil, and he went on to win good races at Merano, at Pardubice, and the Josef Váňa Grand National at Prague Velka Chuchle].

“There are some new horses going over hurdles and fences, and we’ll see if one of them is good enough,” Váňa reflects.

He thinks the balance sheet for the year as a whole is OK. “I won a few group races in Italy. And if I did not have much success in the Czech Republic, at least the jockeys’ title remained in our yard, thanks to Honza Kratochvíl [stable no. 2 jockey Jan Kratochvíl won the 2015 jockeys’ championship]. We’ve again had a good year this year,” he states.

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This interview, made by Petr Guth, first appeared in the Czech language Dostihový svět web pages