The horseracing season is rapidly coming to an end in the Czech Republic, though many of our trainers will continue to send their horses out to run abroad. Some trainers will keep certain horses in training until winter comes. One or two, most notably Josef Váňa, will in addition have some “winter horses” that are only starting their winter campaign in Italy and in France. Plenty of trainers will not wait patiently for our 2018 season to begin in April, but will send their horses out to run, on the flat and over jumps, just as soon as they can get them fit after a midwinter break.

The emphasis that Josef Váňa is placing on sending his horses abroad is reflected by the fact that, for the first time since 1995, he is not the champion trainer over fences in the Czech Republic this year. In the final jumps races of our season, at Kolesa on November 4^th, trainer Helena Vocásková not only held on to her narrow lead but had another winner. Váňa sent seven horses to Kolesa to try to hold on to the championship, but none of them won. In the second-last race of the season, a Category V race for 3-y-o hurdlers, Vocásková saddled the winner and Váňa’s two runners finished 2^nd and 3^rd.

Helena Vocásková, who trains at Němčice, just north orf Pardubice, has a remarkable record this year over fences, winning 16 races and 12 times finishing second, out of just 38 starts.

Josef Váňa can console himself with the thought that his horses won more than eight times as much prizemoney here as Vocásková’s. All of Vocásková’s wiiners were at Category III or lower. Váňa trained the 1^st, 4^th and 5^th placed horses in the Velka Pardubicka, and several of his winners were at Category I and above. In addition, Josef Váňa has a big lead in the Italian jumps trainers’ championship.

Well done, Helena Vocásková!