The 24^th Czech Horseracing Gala Evening was held on Saturday, February 23^rd in the splendid Majakovský Hall at Národní dům na Vinohradech in Prague. The evening began with a prize ceremony with awards for the most successful jockeys, trainers, breeders, owners and, above all, their most successful horses. The award for Horse of the Year went to 7-y-o gelding SUBWAY DANCER (Shamardal), owned by Bonanza and trained by Zdeno Koplík. Subway Dancer’s outstanding performance was in the Champion Stakes atAscot, in which he finished in third place, ridden by the trainer’s brother, Radek Koplík. Subway Dancer also won the award for the best older horse. He received 73.97% of the votes. Second place went to Blessed Kiss (Kentucky Dynamite), with almost 10% of the votes, with Nagano Gold (Sixties Icon) in third place with 7% of the votes.

Winners the votes for the best horse of 2018, in various categories:

Best 2-y-o colt/gelding: 
  KING ARCHIE (Archipenko), owner: Dr. Charvát, trainer: Pavel Tůma, 85.3% of the votes
Best 2-y-o filly: 
  DARK ABSOLU (Pouvoir Absolu), owner: Rabbit Trhový Štěpánov, trainer: Allan Petrlík, 57.3% of the votes
Best 3-y-o colt/gelding:
  MON CHERI (Makfi), owner: Lokotrans, trainer: Luboš Urbánek, 50% of the votes
Best 2-y-o filly:
  BLESSED KISS (Kentucky Dynamite), owner: Yerbol Baizhasrkinov, trainer: Igor Endaltsev, 78.7% % of the votes
Best older horse:
  SUBWAY DANCER (Shamardal), owner: Bonanza, trainer: Zdeno Koplík, 65.3% of the votes
Best sprinter:
  MR RIGHT (Echo Of Light), owner: Dr. Charvát, trainer: František Holčák, 54.7% of the votes
Best miler:
  WIRELESS (Kentucky Dynamite), owner: Leram, trainer: Václav Luka, 61.33% of the votes
Best stayer:
  NAGANO GOLD (Sixties Icon), owner: Syndikát V3J, trainer: Václav Luka, 68.9% of the votes
Best hurdler:
  ANAKING (Astarabad), owner: Dr. Charvát, trainer: Pavel Tůma, 43.2% of the votes
  AZTEK (Moonjaz), owner: Dr. Charvát, trainer: Tomáš Váňa, 43.2% of the votes
Best steeplechaser:
  AL BUSTAN (Medecis), owner: Lokotrans, trainer: Stanislav Popelka, 44.6% of the votes
Best crosscountry steeplechaser:
  TZIGANE DU BERLAIS (Poliglote), owner: Dr. Charvát, trainer: Pavel Tůma, 83.8% of the votes
Best Czech-bred horse:
  AZTEK (Moonjaz), owner: Dr. Charvát, trainer: Tomáš Váňa, 36,2% of the votes  

Well-deserved awards for long-term services to horseracing went to Václav Chaloupka and to Česká pojišťovna.

Václav Chaloupka rode the winner of the Velka Pardubicka on four occasions, three times on Korok, and once on Václav. He continued riding over fences and, until recently, in trotting races, until an advanced age. He is still an active racehorse trainer, though no longer on as large as scale, or with such good horses, as in his younger days, when he was for a long time one of our top trainers. For many years he was the organiser of racedays at Tochovice, where he trained. Meetings at Tochovice were for many years held on the St. Václav’s Day (St. Wenceslas’ Day) national holiday, September 28^th.

The Česká pojišťovna insurance company announced last year that it would no longer be the main sponsor of the Velka Pardubicka, after 25 years in which the names of Česká pojišťovna and Velka Pardubicka were closely linked. It is expected that Česká pojišťovna will continue to have some links with Czech horseracing.