The dispute between the Czech Jockey Club and the organisers of racing at the Czech racecourses remained unresolved after the meeting in Prague on March 20th. At this meeting, the  Council - which includes some representatives of the organizers - voted by a majority in favour of a "compromise solution", under which half of the owner's prize money will be paid by the racecourse and the other half will be paid by the Jockey Club. However, only one of the racecourses, Pardubice, has agreed to this solution, and even Pardubice continues to say that, if the Jockey Club decides to award owner's prizes to owners of Czech-bred horses, the Jockey Club should pay the prizes out of its own funds - and should not expect the hard-pressed racecourses to make the payments. The other courses want to look more closely at the proposal, and to decide whether they will accept it at least temporarily.  

With the first meeting due to be run at Prague Velka Chuchle on April 6th, the focus is now on whether Velka Chuchle will agree to announce race conditions acceptable to the Jockey Club within the next few days - in time for entries to be made.

A bit of diplomacy could have prevented this situation escalating, and could still help to resolve it. Is diplomacy really an old-fashioned concept?