Racing at Pardubice on Sunday

The second half of an outstanding weekend of racing in the Czech Republic will be held at Pardubice racecourse. The first race on Sunday is at 2 p.m. The main event is the Town of Pardubice Stakes, 5800 metres. This is the second of the four Qualification Races at Pardubice racecourse for the 2019 Velka Pardubicka. The Velka Pardubicka will be run at Pardubice on Sunday, October 13^th.

There are 8 declared runners for the Qualification Race, five of which already have already shown that they can be serious contenders for the big race. Ange Guardian won two qualification races in 2018, and finished 2^nd behind Charme Look in VP 2015. He is trained by Josef Váňa senior and will be ridden by Jiří Kousek. Zarif, also trained by Josef Váňa senior, has been in the prize money in the VP in each of the last five years. He stays well and is a safe jumper, but lacks a bit of speed. He will be ridden on Sunday by Jaroslav Myška.

Sztorm is a Wroclaw course specialist, and won both of the top two steeplechases there in 2018. He is now trained by Greg Wroblewski, who, like his owner, Nýžnerov, would like few things more than to win the Velka Pardubicka again. However, it is far from clear that Sztorm likes the smell of the dusty/muddy ploughed fields at Pardubice. Some horses prefer to run on grass. Jan Faltejsek rides Sztorm on Sunday. Delight My Fire is also a Wroclaw specialist. She recently finished 2^nd in the Crystal Cup race at Wroclaw, which qualifies her for the VP. However, she also has some form at Pardubice. She won the Labe Stakes on Velka Pardubicka day in 2016, and finished 3^rd in VP 2017. She will be ridden by Bulgarian jockey Sertash Ferhanov on Sunday. Mahony did well to win the Labe Stakes on VP day 2018, and confirmed this form by dead-heating for 2^nd place behind Ange Guardian at Pardubice on May 8^th. Mahony is trained by Stanislav Popelka, and will be ridden by Marek Stromský.

The two Slovak-trained runners, Vandual, ridden by Lukas Matusky, and Tiep de l’Est, ridden by Martin Cagáň, and also Dulcar de Sivola, ridden by Josef Borč, have yet to show that they are worth running in the Velka. Tiep de l’Est and Dulcar de Sivola are young French-bred chasers that are still quite new to Pardubice, and it will be interesting to watch them on Sunday.

The other major race on Sunday is the Category I Valečník Stakes. This is a crosscountry sprint over 3300 metres. Tiara Man, Starbuck and Theophilos are considered the strongest contenders.  

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Photo, by Petr Guth: Josef Váňa senior, trainer of Ange Guardian, Zarif and Theophilos, in his lucky hat