Jan Faltejsek may have failed over a number of years to catch the eye of English trainers and owners, but in central Europe he is very well established as a top steeplechase jockey. Last Sunday he gave Al Bustan a masterly ride to victory in the Gran Premio di Merano, coming with a strong late run from towards the back of the field.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhJFKNkr-7s

Jan Faltejsek has won 4 of the last 5 renewals of the Velka Pardubicka, three times on the outstanding Orphée des Blins, and last year on Charme Look. Runners and riders for the 2017 Velka Pardubicka will be declared on Friday, September. It is expected that Faltejsek will ride Virtus d'Estruval, trained in France by Guillaume Macaire, in whose yard he spent a couple of years. Marek Stromský is expected to ride Charme Look. Nikas, on which Stromský was first past the post in VP 2015, before the horse was disqualified for failing a drugs test, is now 12 years old, and is now trained by Čestmír Olehla. I have no information who will ride him.