16:40 – 8^th race
129th Velka Pardubicka with Slavia Insurance
Crosscountry steeplechase, Listed, aged 6+, 6900 metres,

Trainer Radek Holčák has announced that Hegnus has had a setback and will not run in the Velka Pardubicka. He states that the horse should be fit to resume his racing career in 2020. Hegnus finished second in VP 2018, and would have been strongly fancied for this year's renewal of the race.

I have also read that French-trained Urgent de Gregain is a non-runner. This horse finished second in VP 2017, and would presumably also have been well fancied.

It has already been announced by Josef Váňa senior that 2017 VP winner No Time To Lose is a non-runner.

Three horses have been supplemented for the Velka Pardubicka, bringing the total number of horses entered for the race up to 26. Player and Talent both won their races in the September meeting at Pardubice, and it was expected that they would be entered for the big race on Sunday, October 13th. Beau Rochelais was recently brought to the Czech Republic by Pegas, with a view to running him in the Velka.

British jumps trainer Ferdy Murphy, who sent several horses over to run at Pardubice, has passed away. His best result in the Velka Pardubicka was at his first attempt, in 1996, when Irish Stamp finished second to Cipísek. He also brought one of his best horses, Paddy’s Return, over for the Paramo Gold Cup.

Dostihový spolek press release, 02.08.2019

Nathan Rahman is a corporal in the British army who rides in point-to-points and hunter chases, and has also ridden in military races at Sandown and Wincanton.  He won the PPORA Novice Riders’ Championship Final this year. Nathan has discovered and enjoyed central European crosscountry steeplechasing in recent months. He has already made two trips to ride at Merano, and he plans to ride in a race for amateurs there this weekend.

The Rabbit CZ Czech Oaks, 2400 metres, CZK 550 000, was run at Karlovy Vary on Sunday, July 21^st. In the Oaks trial on Derby day at Prague Velka Chuchle, there had been pandemonium in the starting boxes, and it was fortunate that fillies and jockeys did not suffer serious injury. In the Oaks itself, the connections of more than half of the field had asked for an outside draw, and numerous trainers had permission to be at the start. Happily, there were no problems this time.   

Trainer V

St Pancras (May 12^th), St Servatus (May 13^th) and St Boniface (May14th) are known in the Czech Republic as the Ice Saints, and it is interesting how often these saints’ days produce a night frost long after winter seems to have been left behind and long after nature has burst into spring mode. Climate change seems not yet to have affected the Ice Saints.

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!