The family of billionaire Radovan Vítek has taken control over the famous racecourse in the Velká Chuchle suburb of Prague, by obtaining 93.6% of the shares of Turf Holding. Turf Holding has a majority shareholding in Turf Praha, the association which is the owner of Velká Chuchle racecourse. The Vítek family has thereby also taken over the share in the TOTO CZ horseracing betting office, which does business under the name Betino. “We will definitely maintain the tradition of horseracing. Next year [i.e. 2018] we will present a new vision for Velká Chuchle racecourse, which we want to build up into a large, modern equestrian area that will be fully comparable with similar areas elsewhere in the world,” Marie Vítkova stated.

In its vision, the Vítek family envisages not only horseracing, but also show jumping. This will involve modernizing the present racetrack for flat racing, and constructing a new showjumping arena, including thorough modernization of the facilities for horses, for their owners and for racegoers. To implement this plan, which will involve the investment of hundreds of millions of crowns, it will be essential to resolve questions in connection with the sale of land that is currently owned by the state. The purchase of the area in the Prague suburb of Chuchle is a personal investment of Mr and Mrs Vítek, who have a long-term close links with horses. Both of their daughters are competitive riders. Anna Marie Vítková won in her category in the 2017 Pony Championship of the Czech Republic