17:35 – 7^th race (010701)
99^th running of the Czech derby
Flat – Graded 3 – 3-y-o fillies and colts - 2400 m – CZK 2 000 000

There is an attractive weekend day of racing at Prague Velká Chuchle racecourse on Saturday, June 22nd and at Pardubice racecourse on Sunday, June 23rd.

The first race, on Saturday and also on Sunday, is at 2 p.m. and there are 8 flat races on the card on Saturday and 8 race over fences on Sunday. Apart from the Derby, there are four Category I races, each of which has attracted a good field, and each of the eight races has 10 or more declared runners. It is just as well that the brand new boxes at the racecourse will be available for the runners.

How to get to the racecourse

The racecourse is in the southern suburbs of Prague, on the left (west) bank of the Vltava. By far the best way to get to the course is by the S7 suburban train service. Prague – Velká Chuchle is two minutes on foot from the main entrance to the course.

A 32-crown public transport ticket (or any valid Prague public transport pass) will get you to the racecourse by the integrated public transport system from any stop in the capital city area. Make sure that you buy a ticket for the return journey before you set out, because there is no ticket office at Velká Chuchle or on the train.

 S7 trains to the racecourse leave Prague Hlavní nádraží (main station) at 20 minutes and at 50 minutes after each hour. These trains stop at Smíchovské nádraží (Smíchov station) at 28 minutes and at 58 minutes after each hour, and arrive at Prague Velká Chuchle on the 34 minutes and at 04 minutes after each hour.

Trains back into town leave Prague Velká Chuchle station at 26 minutes and at 56 minutes after the hour.

By car

The car park at the racecourse, in Radotinská Street, is likely to fill to capacity on Derby day. The roads around the racecourse are narrow and there will be heavy traffic. Apart from the official car park, there is nowhere within walking distance from the course where you can safely leave your car – it will surely be towed away! If you nevertheless decide to come by car, arrive at least an hour before the first race to avoid delays and problems.

Seventeen runners and riders have been announced for the 99^th running of the Czech Derby. There are 16 places in the starting gates, and Bell Elysees is below the line.

The runners are all more or less inexperienced unknown quantities, but Angkor Wat has defeated several of the others convincingly in his last two races. His most recent run was in the main Derby trial race, when he broke the Velká Chuchle course record and won the race convincingly. Angkor Wat will start as a fairly hot favourite.

This year, no jockeys have been brought in from England, Ireland or France. However, several will come over from Germany. Filip Minařík (photo), whose father was a top jockey and then trained at  Velká Chuchle, has been based in Germany for about 25 years, and has ridden more winners in his career than any other Czech jockey. Due to his commitments in Germany, he has only rarely ridden here in recent years. He will be on Angkor Wat, trained by Josef Váňa senior. Bauyrzhan Murzabajev, from Kazakhstan, won our jockeys’ championship a number of times before trying his luck in Germany in 2017. He maintains his links with Czech racing, and is very highly rated here. He rides Ignacius Reilly for leading trainer Václav Luka. Ignacius Reilly won the Czech Two Thousand Guineas. However, this will be only his third outing, and his other two runs were over a distance of one mile.

Veteran jockey Jiří Palík is the third most successful Czech jockey of all time. He rode in Germany for many years before returning home in 2015. After some disenchantment in 2017, he began riding more in Slovakia and Germany, but he returns to ride Pacific Hill, which put in a good run in the Derby trial.

Czech jockeys Jaromír Šafář (Arcturus) and Martin Laube (Chiouboucar) no longer limit themselves to riding in the Czech Republic. I think they are both now based in Germany, but they are in demand, when available, here and at Bratislava. Arcturus, trained here by František Holcák, won the Slovak Two Thousand Guineas, and will probably start as second favourite.

Panamanian jockey Eduardo Pedroza has been a top jockey in Germany for many years, and first rode in the Czech Derby in 1999. He will be on the outsider Tularka.

Two leading Slovak jockeys, Zdenko Šmida (Nikeandnemesis) and Jaroslav Línek (Outback Rider) are both on outsiders.

Giuseppe Virdis is an Italian jockey who has been based in the Czech Republic this year. He rides Big Ben.

David Liška (Ramssio) is the Czech jockey of the moment. He is just coming to the end of his time at the school for apprentices at Velká Chuchle, but he was already our champion jockey in 2018, and easily broke the record for the youngest rider ever to reach 50 winners in the Czech Republic. He has been on particularly good form recently, but he has only an outside chance on Ramssio.

Beysim Ferhanov is a young Bulgarian rider who finished 2^nd in our flat jockeys’ championship in 2018. He rides Kristiano.

Radek Koplík (Amazing Gangster), Jiří Chaloupka (Military Respect), Jan Rája (Dalandi), and Jan Verner (Well Absolut) are well-established Czech jockeys who should be good enough if their horses are.

Michal Demo is still a claiming rider, so the ride on Uran is a good opportunity for him. He has ridden the horse on each of his six outings, but they have not achieved anything that suggests they might win the Czech Derby.