When information given on the Czech language pages of Dostihový svě

According to the local weather forecast, the Indian summer conditions in the Czech Republic will be replaced by rain (much needed) in the midweek and chilly days at the weekend. The daily maximum on Sunday is forecast to be 8˚C.

It is necessary to bring warm dress, especially if you are going to spend the day in the grandstands, which face north.

Slovak jockey, Lukáš Matuský, who was injured at the weekend in Switzerland, had been engaged to ride the outsider, Peintre Abstrait, in the Velka Pardubicka. He is to be replaced byPolish rider Dominik Pastuszka, who is based in Italy, and is no. 2 rider for top Italian jumps trainer, Paolo Favero.

Every year, Czech trainers have a nightmare in which the good jockey that they have engaged for Velka Pardubicka day gets injured at the last moment. This year it has happened in reality, but not at the last moment. Slovak jockey Lukaš Matuský, who has emerged in recent years as one of our most promising young riders over fences, was injured in a fall at Maienfeld, in Switzerland, at the weekend.

Josef Váńa was as usual on good form at the Velka Pardubicka press conference in the Hotel Paříž, in Prague Old Town, on October 2nd. Most of the journalists’ questions were addressed to him, and his answers were, as usual, a mix of information and mystification, ideal for publicizing the race that he personifies.

We announce the tragic death on September 27^th of Michal Köhl, a jockey who had been active in Czech horse racing for more than 20 years. He had ridden 7 winners on the flat and 64 in jumps races, including 4 wins at Category I level and above.

Cristian Demuro won the European Jockeys Cup at Prague Velká Chuchle, after winning the first two races, on Dumnonia and Prince Orpen. The other races went to Tamarind Cove, ridden by Václac Janáček, and to Touch of Genius, ridden by Filip Minarík. The final race in the competition, the European Jockeys Cup Million, was won by Dashing Home, ridden by Fabrice Veron.

 All five European Jockey

The official ratings have been published for the horses entered for the five main races in the European Jockeys Cup meeting at Prague Velká Chuchle on Saturday, September 26^th. The connections of the horse with the highest rating will have the first choice when jockeys are chosen on Tuesday.