In recent years, Josef Vana has usually had as many as ten entries and four or five runners in the Velka Pardubicka. This year, he had only six entries, and only two of them are likely to run. Josef Vana snr will be on Tiumen, winner of the race in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and placed third last year. Despite his recently broken ankle, hIs son, Josef junior, will presumably be on Budapest. Budapest has been placed in each of the last three years in the Gran Premio at Merano. This year he has been targetted at the VP. Budapest is undoubtedly a class horse, and if he adapts fully to long-distance crosscountry racing he will be in with a good chance. His crosscountry performances at Pardubice so far this season have been OK. Two other Vana-trained horses, Ilion and Zarif, are qualified for the VP but will run in other races on VP day. Vana-trained Silver Regent won the September VP qualification race, but has not been supplemented for the race on October 13th.

Bremen Plan, winner of the May qualification race, is also not going to run in the Velka. He has had recurring fitness problems going back three seasons and more.

Declarations of runners and riders will be published on Friday, October 4th.