The field for Saturday’s VP qualification race at Pardubice can boast not only the winner of the 2018 Velka, but also a horse that won the Velka without finishing the race in first place. In the Lokotrans colours, 11-y-o Ribelino will be running at Pardubice for the second time this year. However, his previous run did not leave his trainer, Luboš Urbánek (photo), any the wiser!

“It’s hard to draw any conclusions from that race. Andrew Glassonbury lost his way, and so Ribelino did not finish the race,” says Luboš Urbánek. The same British rider has got the ride again this time. Why? “We know he made a mistake last time out, but we all believe it won’t happen again. Last time, he walked the course twice, and really prepared himself properly, but in the end it didn’t work out. However, his attitude is very good, and we had been looking for a jockey for Ribelino who would ride the horse throughout the season, including the Velka, perhaps. At the same time, our best jockeys are practically all taken,” Luboš Urbánek explains.

The trainer has a straightforward explanation for Ribelino’s return to racing in the Czech Republic. “After the meeting at Pardubice last year, the owner wanted to take him to his place, and then we could test whether racing was something that he would still enjoy, or whether he should be retired from racing. In his work, Ribelino still seems to be showing interest, but it’s going to be a matter of what he shows it in his races.”

In other words, the aim of Saturday’s run for Ribelino is not just to fulfil the qualification requirements for the Velka, but also to demonstrate whether he still enjoys racing? “Exactly. If it turns out at the racecourse that he’s had it with racing and hasn’t any interest, I guess we’d have to retire him. However, I think he’s far from reaching that point. In his work, he seems like a young horse. He doesn’t behave like a veteran at all,” Luboš Urbánek says.

“What would be an ideal result on Saturday? For sure, we’d like him to meet the qualification requirements, and also to show that he enjoyed the race,” the trainer adds. Last year the trainer attempted a similar comeback with Ribelino’s legendary rival, Nikas. “There’s no comparing these two. Nikas was big and easygoing, but from time to time he did show his age. I have a better feeling with Ribelino,” Luboš Urbánek adds, in the belief that his horse, under the direction of his British rider, will not lose his way, but will find himself again with a good result and with a fighting performance.

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Photo of trainer Luboš Urbánek, by Petr Guth. This interview, written by our editor Petr Guth, first appeared on our Czech-language pages today. Translated by Robin.

As a 7-y-o, Ribelino won the 2015 VP, after Nikas was disqualified for failing a doping test. Since that date, Ribelino has not turned in a performance worthy of a VP winner, and all of his runs in 2017 and 2018 were very disappointing.