Another mission to the UK by a Czech crosscountry mare has ended in failure. After Registana and Orphée des Blins, this year’s attempt again came to nothing. Delight My Fire’s fall at Cheltenham can hardly be classified in any other way, though the mare put in an excellent performance at the most famous steeplechase course in the world. Trainer Radim Bodlák had to acknowledge the fact after returning from the cradle of horseracing with mixed feelings…

“The atmosphere was terrific, and the whole environment is something that makes a big impact on you when you take part in it for the first time,” Bodlák concedes. “However, it was a great pity for us that the crosscountry race ended up the way it did. The sad thing was that the fall came about at a moment when the race was winnable. I’m convinced she had what it took, but instead of going on to win, there was this mistake…”

The mistake that cost the mare the win of a lifetime seems to have been the result of a moment’s lack of attention. “At first we thought she had not got off the ground enough at that jump, but when you look at the video, it’s clear that she did get high enough. However, she didn’t take off ideally, and when she went for the fence alongside the second horse, the jump was at an angle, and the horse and jockey didn’t manage it ideally. A single mistake unfortunately cost us the race…” Bodlák pointed out with regret.

Nevertheless, he is happy that the mare took on the British challenge, and confirmed by her performance that she is an exceptional horse by our standards. “People were delighted by her appearance there, and right after the race French people came up to me and tried to attract us for their Crystal Cup races. Other contestants in the race praised her. It was very pleasing,” Bodlák says.

However, he already has a plan set up for the mare for next year, assuming of course that she can maintain this season’s condition and form. “We’d like to run in the Polish Crystal Cup race [in June], qualify for the Velka Pardubicka, and in the autumn the highlights will be the Wielka Wroclawska in Poland [in September] and then the Velka Pardubicka [in October]. Everything else is in the far future,” Bodlák calculates, while admitting that he would happily return to Cheltenham. 

“The atmosphere there was absolutely unreal. We’d absolutely like to go back there. However, it was clear that it only makes sense to consider going there for crosscountry races. Taurito simply wasn’t good enough for hurdles races there. It’s simply on a different level in the UK,” Bodlák recognizes, as far as his other horse on the expedition to the UK is concerned.

This article and interview by Petr Guth first appeared in the Czech language pages of the Dostihový svět website. Translated by Robin Healey