Nowadays, three central European countries put on their most prestigious steeplechase in the period between the beginning of September and the middle of October. All three races are well worth seeing. British racing fans should take the opportunity to experience these races before we need a visa to get to them.

This year there will be two major races at Wroclaw, Poland, on Sunday, September 4^th, the Wielka Wroclawska steeplechase and the Wielka Partynicka hurdle. The racecourse is in the suburbs of this historic city, and there are flights to Wroclaw from many places.

The Gran Premio at Merano, in northern Italy is on Sunday, September 25^th. Merano is widely agreed to be one of the most beautiful racecourses in the world. Merano is a stylish spa town. The Grand Premio meeting lasts two days this year, with a race in the Crystal Cup featuring on Saturday, September 24^th.

The spectacular Velka Pardubicka crosscountry steeplechase will be held on Sunday, October 9^th. This is also a two-day meeting, but the races on Saturday are nothing special. Pardubice racecourse is 100 km east of Prague, and there is a very good and frequent railway connection.

Czech-trained horses and jockeys regularly compete at both Wroclaw and Merano, and there are likely to be well-fancied Czech contenders in all the major races.