A year has passed, and again there is a squad of Czech-trained horses that has set out in an attempt to win the Swedish Grand National and other races in the meeting at Strömsholm. In addition to Stanislav Popelka, who counts as an experienced Nordic invader among Czech trainers, Radim Bodlák has for the first time sent two horses to Sweden that have already recently run at Täby racecourse in Stockholm. ….

“Of course, the main interest in running the horses in Sweden came from the owner, Hvitas Stjerna. As a Swede, he is highly motivated for his horses to run at this meeting at Strömsholm. It is a very prestigious event for him. I’m happy, too, that we have this opportunity to compete, and if we do well in Sweden it will be a double bonus and double happiness,” Radim Bodlák considers.

His first excursion to Scandinavia did not turn out quite as he had imagined. “When we set off for Täby, I thought we had good chances of getting a result, but due to the state of the track the jumps races were run as flat races, and that was no good for us,” he explains.

“When you run over four kilometres on the flat, you can’t win from in front. For that reason, we couldn’t do much with Taurito. Over jumps, he would have been able to take it easy at some stage and get his breath back,” Radim Bodlák says. While he was in Sweden, he went to have a look at the track at Strömsholm. “It’s quite a small course, a park course. Pepa (Josef) Bartoš will have his work cut out to get Taurito to take the turns. The circuit is only about one kilometre. However, it will be the same for everyone, and I think we’ll manage it. Taurito will be competing with about the same kind of horses as at Täby, and I think we can do something.” Finishing in the prizemoney would count as success, but there is no reason why it should not be one of the higher places in the prizemoney.

The trainer, who sent Taurito together with Catch the Cash,  heads for Sweden today. “There’s a celebratory party in the evening before the races. This meeting is a big social event. It’s very prestigious in Sweden, so we’d very much like to do well,” Radim Bodlák adds, looking forward to the biggest steeplechase meeting in Sweden, in which horses from Germany, the UK, Norway and Poland traditionally compete.

Translated from an article in the Czech language pages of Dostihový svět, written by Petr Guth