Town of Pardubice Grand Prix – EURO EQUUS – 4^th qualification race of the 132^nd running of the Velka Pardubicka with Slavia Insurance

          crosscountry steeplechase National Listed - 5800 metres, stakes, 5-y-o and older
CZK 400 000 (200 000 – 92 000 – 60 000 – 28 000 – 20 000)
going: 3.4 (good)

On August 16^th, a notice appeared on the Reality Dnes (Real Estate Today) server offering Lysá nad Labem racecourse for sale. Prodej dostihového závodiště, Lysá nad Labem | Reality.iDNES.cz. The announcement seems to have taken the Czech horseracing community completely by surprise.

The EJC has been a remarkable annual event since 2015. Tomáš Machovský and his team have mobilized support for this major event. Generous sponsors have stepped forward, especially Leram and Loko Trans. Leading trainer Václav Luka has persuaded top jockeys to participate, and owners of good horses to run them in EJC races. Martin Cáp, both as a writer and as a television presenter, has promoted plenty of interest in the  meeting. Many other volunteers have have contributed.

Pardubice racecourse, 100 km east of Prague, is the home of the Velka Pardubicka steeplechase. This famous race, the oldest annual sporting event in the Czech Republic, has been run annually at Pardubice racecourse since 1874 – except for a considerable number of breaks in years when weather conditions, wars and political changes intervened and caused a cancellation.

The following notice is posted in Czech language on the website of the Jockey Club of the Czech Republic Jockey Club (dostihyjc.cz)

You may have found a video recording of this year's Velka Pardubicka, but it was probably in a language that you do not understand.

No. 17 Sztorm will be ridden by French jockey Julliot.

No. 18 Lombargini will be ridden by Martin Liška. (Jan Odložil injured in a fall in the fourth race).

Number 1 will be carried in the Velka Pardubicka by 9-y-o Vanesse, trained by Pavel Vítek, on her first race in central Europe. Betting on this experienced French crosscountry chaser would be like buying a l

The third of the four qualification races for the 131^st running of the Velka Pardubicka with Slavia Insurance attracted 12 runners on August 7th. Most Czech-trained horses that are intended to run in the VP had already qualified safely for the big race. Owners and trainers know that there is always a high risk of a very hot afternoon and rock-hard ground at Pardubice in August.

An ever-growing trend for Czech-trained horses to run in races abroad