The EJC race day is expected to be not just the richest day of flat racing ever offered in the Czech Republic, but also the highest quality day of flat racing in Czech history. Entries closed recently for the 4th European Jockeys’ Cup day, which will be run on Saturday, September 22nd at Velká Chuchle racecourse in the southern suburbs of Prague. This event has aroused unprecedented interest from leading racing stables in Europe.The entries include several winners of group races in Europe, headed by iconic Irish sprinter Gordon Lord Byron, and leading horses from the United Kingdom and from Germany. Owners and trainers in the British Isles have several times considered sending horses for the Czech Derby, but their horses have never yet arrived in Prague.

A total of 116 horses trained in seven countries have been entered for the four main races on EJC day. “We’re delighted! The entries promise a unique sporting event on a level without parallel in the memory of Czech flat racing fans. High-class horses will, in addition, be ridden by big-name jockeys. This provides proof that racing can be run differently, on a European level,” says Milan Baraník, on behalf of the organizers.

“Plenty of things can happen in a quarter of a year, and we’ll just have to wait for the final decisions of foreign owners and trainers. However, the simple fact that they are seriously considering a trip to Prague is a huge success for us, and it raises the prestige of Czech racing, and the level of publicity for it, to an unforseen extent,” adds Tomáš Machovský of the Horse Racing association that is organizing the event.

The juiciest names are in the list of entries for the main race, the EJC Leram Million, over 1400 metres, which carries prizemoney of CzK 2 600 000. This is equivalent to EUR 100 000, which makes it the richest flat race in the central European region. The biggest star name among the 38 entries for this race is without doubt tough-as-nails sprinter Gordon Lord Byron, winner of the group 1 Betfred Sprint Cup, the Prix de la Foret, and also the George Ryder Stakes in Australia. The life story of this 10-y-o sprinter sounds like a fairy tale. Owners Mary and Morgan Callahan bought him for just EUR 2 000, and after he suffered a broken pelvis in his first race he might have been put down. However, trainer Tom Hogan managed to get him back to fitness, and Gordon Lord Byron went on to travel the world. With his performances in Europe, Dubai, Australia and Hongkong he has given strength to his owners, who have been battling with cancer. A full-length documentary has been produced about this gelding,which has won 16 of his 86 races, and more than GBP 1.8 million in prizemoney. Gordon Lord Byron has only once raced against a Czech-trained horse, narrowly beating Dux Scholar, trained by Arslangirej Šavujev, in Paris. In that race, Gordon Lord Byron finished 2nd and Dux Scholar was 4th.

Anothr high-class entry is the much younger British-trained Fighting Irish, from Harry Dunlop’s yard. He recently finished 3rd in the Mehl-Mülhens-Rennen, the German equivalent of the Two Thousand Guineas classic. Last year, he won the Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte (Group 2) in Paris, and he is currently being prepared for the Commonwealth Cup (Group 1) at the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting.

A trip to Prague is also being considered for German sprint champion Shining Emerald, winner of the prestigious Goldene Peitsche (Group 2) and two other group races. This 7-y-o grey, owned by Jaber Abdullah is prepared near Gütersloh by Andreas Wöhler, the most successful German trainer. Andreas Wöhler has trained the winner of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot and also the Melbourne Cup. He knows Velká Chuchle very well, having first come here in 1999, and having twice supplied the winner of the Czech One Thousand Guineas. 4-y-o Scapina has won a listed race in Germany, and other German-trained entries Hyper Hyper and Julio have been placed in blacktype races, as has Lord Roderick, a very popular horse at his home track, Munich, with his own facebook pages. Miroslav Rulec, who used to ride in the Czech Republic, nowadays trains at Iffezheim, near Baden Baden. He has a good sprinter entered for the  EJC Leram Million. His 7-y-o gelding Mata Utu has been placed many times, and three years ago he finished 3rd in the Grosse Europa Meile (Group 3). Spain is represented among the entries by 6-y-o Noray, trained by Enrique Leon Penata, and by Presidency, trained by Jose Carlos Cerquera. Last but not least, Pretorian, trained in Austria by Ziva Prunk, which won the EJC Million in 2016, is again entered for this year’s race.

Czech-trained entries for the EJC Leram Million include all the first five finishers in the race in 2017. Ultimate Fight and Troizilet have again put in some good performances at racecourses in France. Home-bred Lagaro has a lot of class. Father Frost and Mr Right both run in Italy. This year’s Czech Guineas winners, Sagar and Lady Westminster, are entered, as are the speedy Borsakov and the versatile Master of Gold. 5-y-o El Loco, which recently arrived in Arslangirej Šavujev’s yard from Germany, has been placed several times  in group 2 and group 3 races.

There should also be high-class fields for the three other feature races on EJC day, each of which carries prizemoney of CzK 600 000, and brings together all of the top Czech horses. The entries for the EJC Lokotrans Middle (1800 m) include Wireless, currently our best miler, which began this season by finishing 2nd in a listed race in Paris. Entries for the EJC Long, incorporating the Czech Horseracing Grand Prix, (2400 m) include recent Czech classic winners Touch Of Genius, Nagano Gold, Gontchar, Black Canyon and Sagar, as well as other proven stars. There are also a good number of entries for the Pemat Trading EJC Gerscha Memorial (1400 m), for 2-y-os.

“Our two general partners, Leram and Lokotrans, have been doing a great job. Thanks to the intensive efforts of these two companies, the overall prizemoney for the EJC is attractive for top stables abroad. In addition, both sponsors have entered their own horses. For example, the entry of Wireless, the best miler trained in the Czech Republic, is great news,” says Tomáš Machovský.

The principle for the EJC remains the same. The organizers who, in the past, have mangaged to lure big names like Cristian Demuro, Gérald Mossé and Vincent Cheminaud, have again been approaching top European jockeys. A provisional list of invited jockeys will be available in mid August, and it will be finalized after the last date for entries. The connections will select a jockey for their horse from the list of invited jockeys. The first choice will go to the connections of the horse with the highest rating.

Previous years have demonstrated that members of the elite group of European jockeys can enhance the chances even of apparent outsiders. This year again, there will be hotly-contested races. “We’re convinced that Czech racing really needs this kind of confrontation and this European perspective. Without better material, and without attractive events for spectators, there is a danger that Czech horseracing will stagnate, and nobody wants that,” Milan Baraník adds.

“We don’t think that the Czech horses will necessarily trail in behind the rest in this year’s EJC. We’re sure there will be locally-trained winners, and that our trainers won’t give anything away to our guests. In recent years, Czech-trained horses have been very successful, especially in France and Germany. Records for prizemoney won by our horses abroad keep being broken. There’s no need for us be afraid of matching up with foreign horses on our home ground,” Tomáš Machovský concludes.

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EJC press release, translated by Robin.

Congratulations to everybody connected with EJC. There really are bright prospects for the 4th EJC day, on Saturday, September 22nd. By the way, can I add one name here? James Fry from IRB, a long-term friend of Czech horseracing, put a lot of effort into approaching trainers in Ireland and the UK. It is a feather in EJC’s cap even just to have the names of Gordon Lord Byron and Fighting Irish on the list of entries for the EJC Leram Million.