The Jockey Club of the Czech Republic has its offices at Prague Velka Chuchle racecourse, where the whole area is under mud and water. The water level has now peaked, everyone hopes, in mid morning on June 4th, and is slowly receding. Nevertheless, a very difficult period faces Czech racing, especially at Velka Chuchle, for the second time within a period of 11 years. The water level is considerably less high this time, but as such a large area is submerged, and is likely to remain submerged for days, the level of devastation of the turf and of the structures in the racecourse area may not be much lower than in August 2002.

As I write, at 10 a.m. on June 4th, the sun is out in Prague for the first time in recent memory. The forecast is that the weather conditions in Prague and to the south and east, where the flows into the Vltava come from, is not bad. However, the situation downriver from Prague is very grave. Where the Vltava flows into the Labe/Elbe, at Melnik, not very far north of Prague, there is very high water, and the situation is very worrisome all along the Labe. Many small communities face major destruction in the next few days, and the towns of Usti nad Labem and Decin expect an even higher water than in 2002. The river then flows on to Dresden, Magdeburg and right across northern Germany to Hamburg and into the North Sea.   

Velka Chuchle racecourse is on the left bank of the Vltava as the river enters Prague. It is just a couple of kilometres from where the Berounka, a major tributary flowing from the south-west, joins the Vltava. The Berounka has again been very high, and the whole area between the confluence of the rivers and the railway line leading to Munich and Frankfurt is again under water. This depressing situation is not unanticipated. It is known that this whole area is to be sacrificed in the event of a major flood event in order to protect much higher-value objects in the city centre. If that were not the case, the attractive riverside area of Velka Chuchle would itself have been covered with desirable residences.

For safety reasons, the electricity at the racecourse is off.     

Today, the presidium of the  Czech Jockey Club will meet to discuss a large number of urgent matters. The Czech Derby was due to be run at Velka Chuchle on June 23rd. The next best course in the Czech Republic for race over 2400 metres is Karlovy Vary. However, this course, too, has been affected by flooding, and the meeting there on June 16th has been cancelled. A disadvantage of Karlovy Vary is that the field would have to be restricted to 12 runners. Most racecourse, about 100 kilometres north west of Prague is the most likely candidate.

“We are ready to discuss organising the Czech Derby,” says Kateřina Lapárová, from Most Racecourse. “Everything should be negotiated between the leadership of the Jockey Club and our association in the next few days, if the Jockey Club is interested in a solution of this kind.”

Václav Luka, president of the Czech Jockey Club, does not want to anticipate the results of today’s meeting, but points out that the Czech Derby is by no means the only matter on the agenda.   “We will have to deal with a whole set of very serious issues. We need to ensure that racing goes ahead in the period to come, and to offer the horses that have been prepared to race in June in Prague or at Karlovy Vary a chance to show what they can do. In addition, we have to deal with the complicated task of repairing the damage that the floods will leave behind,” Luka points out, adding that all members of the presidium share a major joint interest in securing the near future of Czech racing.

(the interviews are translated from the Czech pages of Dostihovy svet)