More than 40 members of the Czech Steeplechase Association took part in the General Meeting at Pardubice racecourse. After Jaroslav Jelínek, general secretary of the Association, had made an extensive evaluation of the previous season, there was a vote for members of the bodies for the General Meeting, followed by a vote for the new committee of the Association.

According to the web pages of the Jockey Club of the Czech Republic, the prize for the winning trainer in the Nutrin Cup 2017 competition will be provisionally withheld.

Dear breeders, owners and supporters of Czech thoroughbred breeding

As a seven-year-old, Ribelino won the Velka Pardubicka in 2015 on the disqualification of first-past-the-post Nikas.

Czech jockey Filip Minařík has won his fourth German flat jockeys’ championship. It is the first time that he has managed to defend a championship won in the previous season.

Thirteen does not always have to be an unlucky number. Václav Luka’s thirteenth season as a trainer has been very successful. Not just at home in the Czech Republic, where it is sufficient to mention his classic winner, Nagano Gold, but also abroad. His last runners in France in December brought the lifetime winnings of his horses up to a total of 60 million crowns [EUR 2.2 million].

Josef Váňa junior has the most successful year of his career behind him, in terms of the number of races that he has won.

The gap in entries on this website between November 7^th and December 27^th will have been noted by some readers. One or two of you have even written to ask if I am OK – the answer is that I am fine. It is just that I have lost the discipline that for many years made me write monthly newsletters regularly and more or less on time, and also other articles and translations from time to time.

Today [December 19^th] the purchase was finalized of the majority shareholding in Turf Holding, which is the majority owner of Turf Praha a.s., the owner of Prague Velká Chuchle racecourse.

The horseracing season is rapidly coming to an end in the Czech Republic, though many of our trainers will continue to send their horses out to run abroad. Some trainers will keep certain horses in training until winter comes. One or two, most notably Josef Váňa, will in addition have some “winter horses” that are only starting their winter campaign in Italy and in France.