Josef Váňa junior has the most successful year of his career behind him, in terms of the number of races that he has won. However, he rode in only ten races here in the Czech Republic, and he left his usual position in our jumps jockeys’ championship vacant. At the same time, he brought the local jumps jockeys’ championship back from Italy, and in southern Europe he won race after race. He can be proud of what he has achieved!

“Of course, you can’t just turn up in Italy and win their championship. It is an honour that for a long time belonged to Romano, Then Fuhrmann and Pepča [Josef] Bartoš took over. And this year, I have the title. It means a lot to me, and so does my dad’s trainers’ title. Beating the Italians on their home ground is a great feeling,” says Josef junior, who has spent two years working in Italy and speaks Italian very well. The language is a big advantage when working at the racecourses in Italy.

“Of course, the fact that we can communicate helps us a lot, not just in the races but also in communicating with Italian owners. It’s how we’ve got where we are now. I think it will continue into next year, too,” says the fresh Italian champion, trusting that the 2018 steeplechasing season will not turn out as badly as had seemed likely.

“There will be racing at Pisa in January, as far as I know. An agreement has already been reached, and in the end the season will get under way as had originally been expected. And I’ve heard reports that jumps racing should continue at Treviso,” says Váňa, making light of dire reports signalling major problems at both of these racecourses. “Only Grosseto is probably going to go out of business, and from our point of view that would not be such a loss. On the one hand, it was really out in the provinces, and the track was not so good and, on the other hand, it’s the most distant of the courses from us, so we’ll be missing out on some awkward journeys. If some of their races are moved to Pisa, or to Milano, it will be all the better for us,” he adds.

This is what is likely to decide his foreseeable future as a jockey. ‘I have a retainer with our biggest owner, so Italy will be my priority,” he confirms. “As far as rides in the Czech Republic are concerned, there won’t be many of them. I’m concentrating on the Velka Pardubicka, and maybe a few other major races, but apart from that our stable will be relying on Honza Kratochvíl, Patrik Boekhout, and we may bring in some other riders. I’m no longer up for riding anything that comes along,” he adds, saying that apart from his long-term painful leg, he has recently being going for physiotherapy for back pains. “I see my main role in Czech racing for next year [2018] as to make sure our horses are well prepared, run where they should run, and that everything in the yard is in good order. I’ve done a lot of riding, since the age of 14, and my body is beginning to tell me to be more selective,” says Josef Váňa, junior.

Before the 2018 season, he does not exclude the possibility of making more raids on France, where, in particular, Dusigrosz and Stafettino showed promise. “These two certainly should go back there, if they are fit, and maybe Fafintadenient will run in France, but we’ll see about that,” Váňa junior said, shortly before the beginning of the new year.

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This interview, taken by Petr Guth, first appeared in the Czech language section of Dostihový svět on December 29^th, 2018. Translation by Robin Healey.