Trainer Martina Růžičková had an exceptional year in 2016 as regards the results achieved by horses that she trained. She won the Velka Pardubicka and one of the Velka Pardubicka qualification races with Charme Look, and her 3-y-o filly Venillia finished 2nd in the Oaks and won two good races.
Great news for horseracing in Central Europe! Freudenau racecourse in Vienna is to reopen in 2017. When the north American style racing + casino project was set up at Ebreichsdorf, east of Vienna, several years ago, racing at Freudenau soon began to dry up. It had seemed to be only a matter of time before this beautiful racecourse would become a dream site for developers. However, the Ebreichsdorf gallop racing project was never a financial success and is now moribund.
Twenty-eight Czech- and Slovak-trained horses have fulfilled the qualification requirements for the Velka Pardubicka (assuming that Goscater will be supplemented for the race). Their current rankings are as follows:
76. Großer Preis von Meran
Jagdrennen, 5.000 Meter, 250.000 Euro- Gruppe I
Nr - Pferd - Jockey - Trainer - Besitzer - Nationalität
1 BUDAPEST - J. Vana Jr - J.Vana Sr - Jasna - CZ
2 CIRO VINCENTI - R. Romano - R. Romano - Giuseppe De Moliner - ITA
3 COMPANY OF RING - J. Bartos - P. Favero - Scuderia Milano - ITA
4 DEMON MAGIC - L. Matusky - C. Oleha - Jiri Charvat - CZ
Quite near the end of November, I wondered whether I had anything to write for my monthly newsletter, and whether I should just offer a short apology instead of a newsletter this time, or even write nothing – on the assumption that almost no-one would notice.
Czech Derby winner Cheeky Chappie confirmed that he is our best three-year-old over longer distances by winning the Czech St Lege rwith Prague 5 city district, at Prague Velka Chuchle as the even-money favourite on August 31, in exactly the same manner as he had won the Derby ten weeks earlier. Again, the race was run at a true pace, Jiří Chaloupka kept him at the rear of the field and brought him with a late run, and got up in the last 50 metres. These were two masterly and stylish rides by Jiří Chaloupka.
Pardubické „bumpery“ po loňském boomu v letošním roce přešly poněkud do ústraní, přece si ale v sobotu řekly o pozornost. Dostih, který se stal jakýmsi „mezioborovým“ měřením sil překážkových a rovinových jezdců, splňujících zařazení mezi propozičně mladé, nakonec v této disciplíně přinesl první zápis Michalu Machovi. Ten v sedle Scotyho pomohl ukončit Jaroslavu Kroutilíkovi téměř dvouleté čekání na devětadvacáté trenérské vítězství , bumper ho ale natolik „vtáhl do hry“, že si odnesl i pětistovkovou pokutu za nadměrné užívání biče.
As expected, the leading Czech-based trainers are sending good horses for the main races at Warsaw Partynice on September 7th and 8th. Cestmir Olehla has three entries in the two big races. In the Wielka Wroclawska, his Demon Magic, third in last year’s Gran Premio at Merano, will be well favoured. Ursan, trained by Stanislav Popelka, is well established among our leading chasers, and won the Nagroda Tiumena at Wroclaw Partynice on August 11th. Five of the declared runners are Czech-trained, and the other five are Polish-trained.
