The first of two press conferences on horseracing in the week before the first race days of the season was held on April 12, at the stylish Paris Hotel. President of the Jockey Club of the Czech Republic, Dr Jiří Charvát, and deputy president, Josef Váňa, snr, pointed out that the Jockey Club succeeded in raising prize money for Czech racing by 15% last year, mainly by its own efforts, and with little or no help from the racecourses. The Jockey Club attracted Mercedes-Benz as a major partner for Czech racing, and it set up an Owner’s Fund that is a major contributor to the funding of Czech horseracing. Another issue that they raised was the intransigence of the racecourses, which continue to insist on astronomical charges to owners for entering their horses and declaring them to run.

The leadership of the Jockey Club’s view on the cancellation of the first two days of the racing season was that it was entirely the fault of the racecourses. For a more nuanced viewpoint, see http://www.dostihovy-svet.cz/en/node/6099.

The débacle suffered by the outmanoeuvred leadership of the Jockey Club in the War of the Percentages clearly still rankles. The relations between rival groups of important people in Czech racing are so bad that it is difficult to see how further turmoil is to be avoided, and how the leaky boat in which Czech racing travels can be saved from taking in a lot of water. And yet, this weekend, the majority of racing people will be very happy to meet up again with old friends after more than five months of off-season.

On April 14^th, at the Park Inn Hotel, a good partner of racing in Prague, Velká Chuchle racecourse will present its views on the new season to the press.