Recently-elected president of the Czech Jockey Club Aleša Jakub seems likely to be a victim of the escalating dispute over the payment of Owners Prizes to owners of Czech-bred horses that win or are placed in medium- and high-category races.

At a very heated meeting of the Association of Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners held in Moravia on March 29^th, Jakub was not elected to the board of the Association. Just before he was elected president of the Jockey Club earlier this year, Aleša Jakub was co-opted on to the board of the Association of Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners, and this made him eligible for election as president of the Jockey Club. Now he has received a vote of no confidence that seems to make his position untenable.

A few days ago, the Jockey Club offered to pay 50% of the owner’s prizes if the racecourses would pay the other 50%. However, the racecourses, with the exception of Prague Velka Chuchle, have not agreed to this. At the meeting on March 29^th, the owners and breeders - interestingly - voted to halve the owner’s prizes in such a way that the racecourses will not have to make a payment but the Jockey Club will have to pay the 50% that it recently agreed to. The owners will win less in owner’s prizes, and the racecourses are to invest the money that comes to them from the Ministry of Agriculture on improvements to their racecourse facilities.

Everyone wants the upcoming racing season to go ahead, and for no meetings to be lost due to this dispute. However, it is not possible to finalize the race conditions until there is some settlement of this owner’s prize issue.

It might have been quite easy for an arbitrator, probably from outside racing, to bring the parties together and find a mutually acceptable solution. Instead, however, an essentially small dispute has been allowed to escalate dangerously. It has developed into something that goes beyond the payment of quite modest amounts, in terms of racehorse ownership, to owners of Czech-breds.

The Czech racing season will begin on Sunday, April 6^th at Prague Velka Chuchle.