After an interval of four years, two Czech-trained horses will run in the UK, at Cheltenham on Friday, December 9^th. Czech-trained horses run very frequently nowadays in Italy, France, Slovakia, Germany and Poland, and occasionally in Hungary, Switzerland and Sweden. However, the long journey to the most famous steeplechase course in the world is not only a rarity, but an event that arouses great interest in the Czech horseracing community. Indeed, the race will also be closely followed by Polish steeplechasing fans, as both of the horses have run and won more at Wroclaw than in the Czech Republic, and by fans in Sweden, as their top jumps jockey over the past 30 years rides both horses, and one of the horses is Swedish-owned.

Delight My Fire will run at 2.15 in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase (Class 2), the final event in the Crystal Cup series in 2016. Taurito will run at 3.15 in the Catesby Handicap Hurdle. Both of these horses are trained at Staré Město u Uherského Hradiště, in southeast Moravia, andwill be ridden by Swedish jockey Niklas Lovén.

Delight My Fire is a 6-y-o mare that has made a big impression as a young steeplechaser, winning eight races in the last three seasons. These include the Wielka Wroclawska, the biggest race of the season in Poland, at Wroclaw in 2015; the Labe Stakes at Pardubice on Velka Pardubicka day in 2016; and the Velká Slušovická at Slušovice at the end of October 2016. She has also finished 2^nd in the race for mares on Velka Pardubicka day in 2015 and also in the Wielka Wroclawska in 2016.

Delight My Fire, and also Taurito, will be ridden by Swedish jockey Niklas Lovén. Following the closure of Täby racecourse near Stockholm, which had been the leading course in Sweden not only for flat racing but also for jumps racing, the new Bro Park racecourse was opened this midsummer, but without a steeplechase course. This is to be remedied, we hope, for the 2017 season, but this has been a lean season for Swedish steeplechase trainers and jockeys. Veteran jockey Niklas Lovén has found a better solution than most, by attaching himself to Delight My Fire. He has made three trips to Wroclaw, one to Pardubice and one to Slušovice to finish 2^nd, 1^st, 2^nd, 1^st and 1^st on her. On September 4^th, 2016, he rode three winners at Wroclaw, including Taurito, and finished 2^nd on Delight My Fire in the Wielka Wroclawska.

5-y-o gelding Taurito is not going to Cheltenham just for an excursion or for the spa waters. He has a decent record over hurdles and over fences. He has won 10 of his 20 races on the flat, over hurdles and also over the easy fences at Brno and at Wroclaw, though not yet against the toughest opposition. He changed hands a year ago, and now has Swedish owners, Hvitas stjerna ČR. Trainer Radim Bodlák has a number of Swedish-owned horses in his yard, and this year twice took horses to run in Sweden. He says it is a long way, but that it can be done and is worth doing.

Interestingly, in the 2.40 race at Cheltenham on Friday, Czech jockey Jan Faltejsek will be riding Knockara Beau for the George Charlton stable. Jan Faltejsek has a long-term relationship with both George Charlton and with 13-y-o Knockara Beau. On January 25^th, 2014, Knockara Beau, ridden by Faltejsek, won the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham, at odds of 66/1, beating A. P. McCoy into 2nd place by a short head, while 3^rd place went to Big Buck’s!