On May 16th, Czech owners, trainers and jockeys had very mixed fortunes in Italy. The good news is that Chardonney Tcheque, our 2000 Guineas winner in 2010, won a group race in Italy for owner Jiri Charvat and trainer Tomas Satra. Josef Vana senior also had an excellent day at Merano, winning three races with three runners. His son, Josef junior, rode three winners, two of them for his father.

The bad news, however, is that two of our very short list of top jockeys suffered unpleasant injuries. Josef Bartos, who gets more than his fair share of injuries, suffered broken ribs and bruising that will keep him out for at least a month. Current champion jumps jockey Jaroslav Myska later suffered a broken elbow after he was unseated and a backmarker kicked him. He also expects to be out for some time.