Rabbit Well again grabbed attention in the 6^th running of the Eva Palyzová Memorial, Category I, at Lysá nad Labem on July 6th. The answer to the perennial question “Will Rabbit Well Start?” Was “No”, or “Not really.”

As he had done in last year’s Velka Pardubicka, he took a few strides after the starter waved his flag, and then pulled up. His new jockey, Sertash Ferhanov, managed to get him going eventually. The other seven runners had set off at a very gentle pace, with Loire in the lead, but were already well on their way towards the first fence. The pace continued to be leisurely, but Ferhanov wisely made up the ground very gradually. He dropped Rabbit Well in at the back of the field, and it began to look as if those of us who had backed this obstinate but talented horse were going to get a run for our money. Suddenly, however, Rabbit Well made a move that it will be interesting to review when a video of the race becomes available. It appeared to be something between a refusal, a fall, and just an attempt to shake his jockey of his back. As the other horses approached the near side of the copse, Rabbit Well set off towards the far side of the copse, on what looked like a collision course. Then all horses disappeared from sight for a few seconds. When they reappeared, there were just four horses upright, followed a few moments later by four loose horses.

Everyone except the ambulance driver feared the worst. Perhaps the ambulance driver had a problem with his starting plugs (in sympathy with Rabbit Well?). When he finally set off for his errand of mercy, he encountered a car blocking his way, and appeared to stop for an altercation with the driver.

As I have said, the presumed carambole took place behind the copse, and the ambulance driver, to be fair, probably had a better view of the event, and could perhaps see that the jockeys were OK. It was later announced that Ange Guardian, second in last year’s Velka Pardubicka, had fallen, and had brought down Pareto and Makler – leading to a total of four riderless horses emerging from behind the copse.

The drama was not over, as the four remaining horses all came into contact as they contested the third fence from home. Then Salam and Larizano fought out a good finish. Salam had won two Category III races at Pardubice earlier this season, and he is now a winner at Category I level. He is trained in Poland by Iwona Wroblewska, and was ridden by Rostislav Benš. It is good to see a Polish-bred horse like Salam winning a good race in the Czech Republic. Our horses win a lot of races at Wroclaw, and I am glad when they are able to return the compliment by winning here. It is, I hope, a sign that steeplechasing in Poland is consolidating.

As for Rabbit Well, he still has a sense of the theatre. At Lysá, he chose one of his favourite a tragicomic roles. Is there still one more heroic performance in him?