The September 2016 newsletter is already several days overdue. However, I do not suppose many people have noticed. And if you clicked on to Dostihový svět and did not find a newsletter, you may have found some items of interest, about the Wielka Wroclawska meeting at Wroclaw, Poland, and about the entry of our best stayer, Trip to Rhodos, for the Melbourne Cup and the news that the horse would need to spend 60 days outside the Czech Republic to meet the Australian quarantine conditions.

The entry of Trip to Rhodos for the Melbourne Cup was a nice idea that shows the right spirit. It was disappointing that this entry had to be rejected because there is no relevant agreement between the Czech authorities and the Australian authorities on mutual recognition of veterinary documentation. I understand that Jiří Charvát really wanted the horse to run at Flemington, and to represent Czech racing in the famous race. Nevertheless, Trip probably would not have got into the field and, even receiving 10 kg in the handicap from the best horses, would not be quite good enough to be a contender. Finally, in the matter of Trip to Rhodos, the horse may now be available to run in the President of the Republic Stakes at Prague Velka Chuchle on October 23rd. For many Czech racegoers, the presence of Trip to Rhodos in the field for this race in Prague, also over 3 200 metres, would compensate for his non-appearance in the Melbourne Cup.

August has again provided good, sensible weather most of the time and in most of the country. It has been warm, with a certain amount of rain and only a limited number of very hot days. Unfortunately, though, as in June, the two hottest days coincided with the two most important race days here. Czech St Leger day was very hot, as Czech Derby day had been. The third Velka Pardubicka qualification race, like the second qualification race, was run in unreasonably hot conditions for a long-distance crosscountry steeplechase.

I have correctly reported all this year that we have generally had a reasonably mild and reasonably rainy summer, with extreme events only locally. However, I am Prague-based, and everyone knows about Pragocentrism. We are alleged to know and care little about what happens elsewhere in the country. It is true that I forgot to inform readers about the heavy late frost that struck many Moravian vineyards 250 km south-east of the centre of our world, around the beginning of May. I have read that vines can deal with temperatures down to about -4˚C in spring, but this year the late frost was badly timed, and was even sharper than -4˚C. The wine harvest has been completely destroyed in many vineyards, and other fruits have also been adversely affected. [I am told that Moravian vinters like to be visited by people from Prague, because we obligingly pay elevated prices for their worst wines, and do not even notice that they are no good].

The generally mild and moderate summer of 2016 was preceded by several very hot, very dry summers, and the “normal” summer this year, in most parts of the country, has still left the water table very low. We still need plenty more rain, but not violent storms, wind and hail.

September is very often a month with very pleasant weather for tourists here. I twice recently took a stroll through the centre of Prague. I can report that the views are as remarkable and as beautiful as ever. I observed large numbers of tourists talking animatedly, laughing and taking selfies. September and June are perhaps the best months to visit Prague, but the city is worth visiting at any time of the year.

At the beginning of September, it is time to report on the prospects for this year’s Velka Pardubicka meeting. Plenty of Czech- and Slovak-trained horses have already qualified for the Velka, and only two or three intended runners remain to qualify in the 4th Velka Pardubicka qualification race, which will be run at Pardubice on Saturday, September 10th. There are only 7 entries for this race, which means that the race remains open and supplementary entries can be made for the ordinary cost of entering a horse in the race. As there is prize money for the first 7 finishers, some extra entreis can be anticipated.

The field for the VP is limited to 25, which is more than enough. The Taxis (obstacle no. 4) and the Irish Bank (no. 5) are very broad, but anything like twenty horses approaching the Popkovice Turn (no. 6) is worrying. Almost 30 horses are likely to qualify for the race, and elimination will on the basis of the horse’s handicap rating.

Among the foreign entries, Vinga, a 7-y-o mare trained in France by Emmanuel Clayeux, won the Crystal Cup race at Craon at the beginning of September, and would clearly have a chance to be the first winner of the VP from abroad since It’s a Snip, trained and ridden by Charlie Mann, memorably won the race in 1995.

There are plenty of well-fancied Czech-trained contenders. None has put in a truly outstanding performance so far this year, but that is only to be expected. Most are being very specially trained for October 9th, and their outings in spring and summer are mainly part of the preparation process for the big day.

The May qualification race was won by Kasim from Rabbit Well and Hegnus. All three came together heavily less than 200 metres from the end of a hard-fought race. Any of them could do well on October 9th.

The June qualification race was held on a very hot afternoon. Templář, Puntarenas and Ter Mill finished all together, and the least slow finisher won the race. I cannot see any of these three being good enough to win in October.

The August qualification race was won quite comfortably by Charme Look, from Ange Guardian, which had lost several lengths at the beginning of the race, with Rabbit Well 3^rd, Ribelino 4^th, Hegnus 5^th and Zarif 6^th. This was another extremely hot afternoon. The first six past the post are all contenders for the big race. Ange Guardian has specialized in winning races at Most and, more recently at Lysá-nad-Labem, and has limited experience at Pardubice. His trainer, Josef Váňa snr, does not appear to have targetted the horse single-mindedly for the VP. Perhaps he is counting, or was counting, mainly on Rabbit Well, Zarif and also on Rabbit Hawk Wing, which the living legend is expected to ride on October 9th.

Horses that have done well in the VP in the past are also not to be ignored. Horses with a good Course & Distance record often do well again at Pardubice. Al Jaz, aged 10, Klaus, Nikas and Universe of Gracie, all aged 11, fit into this category, though none of them has shown much form yet this year. Al Jaz, Nikas, Universe of Gracie, and also Rabbit Hawk Wing are declared for the 4th Qualification race at Pardubice on September 10th.

The programme for the two-day Velka Pardubicka racing festival has been changed again for this year, for the better. In recent years, the Saturday meeting has been weak. This year, there will be four major championship races on the Saturday, over hurdles and over the classical steeplechase course. There will also be two Fegentri races for amateur riders, one on the flat and the other over hurdles. On the Sunday, there will be 8 championship races, all of them on the crosscountry course.

I will put up a separate article about the “other races” at Pardubice on October 8th and 9th within the next few days. With so many championship races this year, and only a limited number high-class Czech-trained horses, there is an opportunity for trainers and owners elsewhere in Europe, especially in Poland and perhaps Sweden, to find a winnable race here. We like to send out Czech-trained horses to win good races anywhere from the Mediterranean and Atlantic coast of France to Merano and Strömsholm. It is time for us to welcome more good foreign-trained horses to our racecourses, and October 8th and 9th could be an opportunity for visitors to visit and conquer.