After two Covid years, when the race was run before empty grandstands, the 132^nd running of the Velka Pardubicka was a big celebration. The course was excellently prepared and in very good condition, the sun shone all afternoon, and a large crowd turned out to enjoy a vintage Velka Pardubicka day.

Stretton and Player, both owned by Nýznerov, set the pace. This is usually the safest place to be until after the most troublesome obstacles (no. 4, Taxis; no. 5, Irish Bank; no. 6, Popkovice Turn; no. 7 French Fence; nos. 8 and 9, Small Gardens double fence). At the Taxis (obstacle no. 4), Imphal and Star both fell. Kaiserwalzer and Dusigrosz also fell early in the race. Brunch Royal unseated his rider at the Drop, and No Time To Lose also got rid of his rider.  

When they entered the turf track with 600 metres to go, Talent went into the lead ahead of Player. After the last fence, Mr Spex took the lead and Talent held on to second place. Sacimiro finished strongly in third place ahead of Player, Argano moved up to finish not far behind in fifth place. The last three finishers, Lombargini, Dulcar de Sivola and Stretton were very weary and well beaten.

Mr Spex had finished third in last year’s Velka Pardubicka, and was a well-deserved winner this time. He is owned by Lokotrans and is trained by Luboš Urbánek. His Slovak jockey, Lukáš Matuský, won the Velka Pardubicka on Hegnus in 2020. He rides mainly in the Czech Republic and also, like most of our top jumps jockeys, in Italy and Poland, Germany and France.

Four of the seven horses that won prizemoney in this year’s Velka Pardubicka were trained by women, which is surelya record. Second-placed Talent is trained near Pardubice by Hana Kabelková. Third-placed Sacamiro is trained near Přerov by Eva Petříková, who also trained the winner of the first race of the afternoon, Maková Panenka. Fourth placed Player is trained by Lenka Kvapilová, and seventh-placed Dulcar de Sivola by Vendula Jirčáková.

Two of these ladies, Eva Petříková and Vendula Jirčáková, only got a trainer’s licence this year. As it happens, I translated interviews taken very recently by Jana Šejnohová with each of them - Eva Petříková: What is the dark horse for the Velka? It’s our Sacamiro! | Dostihový svět (dostihovy-svet.cz) and Vendula Jirčáková http://www.dostihovysvet.cz/en/node/10421. You can click on to these interviews directly below. I translated them because I hoped that at least one of them would have the good day at Pardubice that they both richly deserve.