Famous Valley, a 5-y-o mare owned by Stanislav Chudáček and trained by Helena Vocásková (photo), won the 13^th running of the Elektrizace Železnic Praha, a. s. Gold Cup, Category I at Prague Velká Chuchle yesterday. This is the richest race over hurdles in the Czech calendar.

This was Famous Valley’s eleventh successive win, which is a remarkable record. However, until recently, this mare was very carefully entered for a series of easy races, alternating over hurdles and on the flat. Her glorious run began in September 2017 in the most modest Category V hurdles races of all, for three-year-olds at Mimoň and at Kolesa. In 2018, she began with wins in two flat races, at Category IV and at Category III. Then she retreated to a couple of Category IV hurdles races and then a Category II race over hurdles. This year, she began with an easy win in a Category III race on the flat, and then she won the Category I race over two miles at Karlovy Vary. After that, an easy race over hurdles was found for her in Hungary. Now, at last, she has taken on strong opposition, over hurdles this time, and she won pretty well.

I do not understand why owner Stanislav Chudáček and trainer Helena Vocásková like to run their high-quality horses in a series of poor races, and deny owners of modest horses an opportunity to run against their peers.

I think Famous Valley has, at least for a couple of months, now disqualified herself from low-quality races by her Category I wins both on the flat and in jumps races. This good mare will now either have to take a rest, or run in proper races.  

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photo of trainer Helena Vocásková, by Petr Guth.