Following the disqualification of Nikas, the 2015 Velka Pardubicka has been awarded to Ribelino, owned by Lokotrans, trained by Stanislav Kovář, and ridden by Pavel Kašný.

Until the age of 6, Ribelino, by Truth or Dare (GB), raced in France, where he won once. He first ran in the Czech Republic in 2014, making an undistinguished start to his Czech career. His best performance in five starts in 2014 was when he finished 8^th behind Orphée des Blins in the September qualification race for the Velka Pardubicka. He did not run in the 2014 Velka Pardubicka.

In 2015, as a 7-y-o, he started to be ridden by Pavel Kašný. His first outing was early in May, when he won the Category I Korok Opening Crosscountry at Pardubice, from Universe of Gracie, Reaper and other good horses. Two weeks later, he finished 2^nd, behind Universe of Gracie in the May VP qualification race at Pardubice. In his warm-up race for the VP, at the September meeting at Pardubice, he won the Auto In Cross Country Chase, beating Barakin and Rabbit Hawk Wing (mentioned by Josef Váňa, snr, as his potential ride in the 2016 VP).

Veteran jockey Pavel Kašný was our champion jumps jockey in 1997 and 1998. This was his first win in the Velka Pardubicka. His highly enthusiastic congratulations to Marek Stromský when he was first past the post on Nikas on October 11^th, were a happy memory of that race. Pavel will not have wanted to achieve his lifetime ambition in this way.  

Ribelino was tested, with negative results, after the Velka Pardubicka. This gelding is only 8 years old, and he clearly has the potential to become a multiple winner of the Velka Pardubicka.

One of the ironies about the disqualification of the first past the post is that the prize money for 7^th place will now go to Modena, trained, like Nikas, by Stanislav Popelka.