Pardubice, November 16^th, 2012

Russian jockey Vladislav Snitkovskij, a seven-time participant in the Velka Pardubicka, the toughest race in continental Europe, has made a visit to Pardubice. He recalled his two wins in the Velka, and the times when he used to ride in the race. Nowadays, he rides in dressage.

Vladislav Snitkovskij was born in 1970. At the age of 24, he won the Velka Pardubicka for the first time. On October 9^th, 1994, he rode 8-y-o Erudit, trained by  František Holčák, to victory. Two years later, on October 13^th, 1996, he repeated his success, this time on 8-y-o Cipísek, trained by Josef Váňa.

Do you like coming back to Pardubice?

I come back to Pardubice whenever I can. My feelings when I come back are something special – the atmosphere and the people all around, it’s perfect. I’ve just come from Germany. It’s not the same thing there. Now I’m on my way back to Russia, but I had to stop off in Pardubice and say hallo to the Taxis. I always used to walk round the racecourse and talk to the Taxis as if it was a living person.

What memories do you have of the Velka Pardubicka?

I have happy memories of the Velka Pardubicka. It’s a great feeling to win the race. I still have it all in my head. I remember it till today. The Velka Pardubicka is the Velka Pardubicka. It is a great race with the best horses. It is the toughest race on the continent. What more is there to say?

What do you do now?

I no longer ride in steeplechases, because there aren’t any in Russia. I ride in dressage. It is a somewhat calmer sport.

Are you planning the come over for the Velka Pardubicka next year? Do you want to experience the atmosphere again? Perhaps just as a spectator?

I’d prefer to ride (laughs).

Isn’t that possible?

Why not? I’d have to get back into training, and ride some races. But why not? I went to see Pepa Váňa yesterday. He’s fit, and he’s still riding. He looked at me and said I could certainly ride again. I’ve ridden Váňa’s horses two or three times. I watched this year’s Velka Pardubicka on the internet, and it is a different race from what it used to be. It’s much faster. It’s no laughing matter. The track changes according to whether or not it rains. You need to know the course perfectly. You need to know how to jump each obstacle, and how to approach the Taxis. You need to race, you need to be in it. Then you can ride the Velka Pardubicka.

(Dostihovy spolek press release)