Latest news from the DS Pegas training centre at Zhoř, near Jihlava, is that an 8-y-o chaser, Beau Rochelais, has been bought with a view to running him in this year’s Velka Pardubicka. DS Pegas, owned by Jiří Trávníček, is one of our biggest owners, and has already won the Velka three times with Orphée des Blins.

DS Pegas trainer Čestmír Olehla (photo), who has trained six winners of the VP (Železník 4 times and Registana twice) told our editor Petr Guth “Beau Rochelais is from the same centre that Orphée des Blins came here from, and he’s certainly a more suitable type for the Velka than some other horses that have been brought over.” It seems that Beau Rochelais is likely to be supplemented for the Velka Pardubice on Thursday.

Beau Rochelais comes from the yard of trainer P. Quinton, and has fulfilled the qualification requirements by finishing second recently in a steeplechase over 5 200 metres in France. He has won three races in France, and over EUR 100 000 in prizemoney, and has experience of running in crosscountry races. He has not won any of his last ten races, but has been placed in the first five in each of these ten races.

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Photo of Čestmír Olehla by Petr Guth