Subway Dancer achieved the best performance by a Czech-trained horse last year when he finished 3^rd in the Champion Stakes at Ascot. This year, exactly a year later, Subway Dancer was sent to Longchamp, where he won the Group 2 Prix du Conseil de Paris, over 2 200 metres.

Irish-bred 7-y-o Subway Dancer is by Shamardal (USA) out of Sub  Rose (IRE) (Galileo (IRE)). He has several times been placed in group races in France, and he won the Group 3 Prix André Baboin - Grand Prix des Provinces, at Lyon – Parilly in October 2016 – an autumn horse, it would seem. Subway Dancer has won over 10 million Czech crowns (EUR 400 000) for his owner, Bonanza.

The horse is trained by Zdeno Koplík, photo, and was ridden by the trainer’s younger brother, Radek Koplík.

We can now argue about whether Subway Dancer is better than Nagano Gold, which finished second in the Hardwicke Stakes at the Royal Ascot meeting this year and was not disgraced in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. What is not in doubt is the ability of our top trainers to send out horses to win big prizes in big races on the flat at the top racecourses in France and the UK.