Recent press releases from Dostihovy Spolek, organisers of events at Pardubice racecourse, and an interview with racecourse manager Michael Skalický by Petr Malík on the Galopp Reporter website have revealed some of Dostihovy Spolek’s intentions for the coming season.

The main resolve is to manage the racecourse in a profitable, stable and sustainable manner. 2013 was, at last, a year of comparative stability for Dostihovy Spolek.

Major efforts have been made to bring the course into good order. The efforts of Jiři Janda and his team have been widely recognized.

A significant change for the Velka Pardubicka meeting is that the flat race meeting, which has in the past been held on the Saturday, the day before the Velka, has been moved this year to the Friday. This will give the staff more time to prepare the race track, the grandstands, security, etc. However, it will probably reduce the crowd at this meeting. The flat race meeting on the day before the Velka has had fluctuating popularity, depending on the weather and, to some extent, on the quality of the racing that has been offered. In recent years, sponsorship of these races has been a bit weak, and there have no longer been anything like five Category I and higher level races. It is hard to see the Friday meeting on October 10^th this year attracting improved sponsorship.

Velka Pardubicka day itself is not expected to differ from the pattern in recent years. It will be held on Sunday, October 12^th. There are likely to be 8 races on the card. The first race will be at about 11.30, and the final race, the Velka Pardubicka will be run at about 4.15.

The Central European Bloodstock Sales, now a well-established feature of the Velka Pardubicka meeting, and the only bloodstock auction in the Czech Republic, have been moved to the Saturday (October 11^th).

Last year, Pardubice racecourse introduced bumper races, and put on some Friday afternoon meetings with just five races: three bumpers and a couple of low-category hurdles races. The idea of bumper races caught on well with owners and trainers, but the Friday afternoon meetings were not a commercial success. This year, bumpers will be run in the course of the normal Saturday afternoon meetings. They are also expected to continue at, or to spread to, other racecourses in the Czech Republic.

Pardubice racecourse will be the venue for the Horse Driving world championships this summer. There will, as usual, be plenty of non-horseracing events at the racecourse, of which the Town of Pardubice is the majority owner. A new children’s playground has been set up behind Stand B.       

The race conditions have not yet been finalized – there are still two months before the season begins at Pardubice. New business partners are being sought, but Česká pojišťovna will continue as the main sponsor of the Velka Pardubicka. Agrofert, which bought the naming rights for Pardubice racecourse just before the 2013 Velka Pardubicka (and just before the general election) will continue to be a commercial partner in 2014.

A quite long-running discussion has been whether the Velka Pardubicka, and perhaps the whole Velka Pardubicka meeting, will be taken up by French pari-mutuel. This would greatly increase the betting on the race and raise its profile, but exclusive rights for pari-mutuel would perhaps have major consequences for Betino, Czech racing’s betting monopoly, and might need a change in the Czech law on lotteries. Michael Skalický told Petr Malík that negotiations with the French are ongoing.

The first meeting this year at Pardubice racecourse will be on May 8th, which is a public holiday.