Dostihové závodiště Pardubice

Velka pardubicka

Velka Pardubicka 2009

The 119th running of the Velka Pardubicka will be on the second Sunday in October, that is, Sunday October 11th. The race will again be sponsored by the Ceska Pojostovna insurance company.

Racing Calendar at Pardubice in 2009

Fri October 9 Central European Thoroughbred Sales

Sat October 10 Flat Racing -

DOMEC St.

Leger with Český rozhlas Pardubice

Sun October 11 Steeplechasing - 119th Velka Pardubicka, sponsored by Česká pojišťovna insurance company

Sat October 24 Steeplechasing - final day of the steeplechasing season

1^stQualifying race. May 23^rd, 2009

Disastrous first qualifying race

With the winners of all four of the 2008 VP qualifying races running in the Town of Pardubice Prize, the first qualifying race for the 2009 Velka Pardubicka, there were high hopes of an exciting race on May 23rd at Pardubice. It was a fine afternoon, but unfortunately most of the rain that had lashed Bohemia the day before, including much of the Pardubice region, bypassed the racecourse. The going was distinctly hard for steeplechasing, though it was officially given as 3.9, i.e., good. All went fine until the Havel Fence, fourth from home. Moning Let had set a reasonable pace. Juventus and Amant Gris did not go particularly well, but they were still there. Jan Fatejsek on Moning Let attacked the Havel Jump, but was unseated, interfering with Derby Sharp and Juventus. which also lost their riders. Moning Let then made his way off to the right, and soon ended up in the ditch that runs across the course, where the water jumps are. He stumbled in, broke a leg, and later had to be put down.

When such a star as Moning Let meets with disaster, there is of course plenty of criticism of the jockey and of the course. Jan Faltejsek had three wins in the course of the afternoon, a heavy fall on Red Dancer and he pulled Moneymaker up. Some expressed the view that he paid insufficient respect to the fences, while others opined that the fences have got easier but the races are run faster, resulting in plenty of nasty accidents.

Back to the qualifying race. There was a well-fought finish, in which the half-bred Tomis, winner of the Labe Prize on Velka Pardubicka day 2008, won by half a length from Mandarino, double winner of the May the First Prize at Lysa-nad-Labem, which made a very good first appearance over the Pardubice crosscountry course. Third place went to Pocci, winner of the September qualifying race in 2008. The other finishers were Lakreg, Florestano, Amant Gris and Shirley. Amant Gris was far from his best, and appeared to be ridden very cautiously by Petr Tuma, who was subsitituting for Marek Stromsky. Marek, who rode Amant Gris when he was disqualified in the 2008 VP after being first past the post, is expected to ride the horse again this year, but he was serving a suspension on Saturday. Juventus, Moning Let, Derby Sharp and Lirain did not get round, and did not qualify for the 119th Ceska Pojistovna Velka Pardubicka.

Second qualifying race. June 13^th, 2009

Outsider wins the 2^nd qualifying race

The June qualifying race for the 119th Ceska Pojistovna Velka Pardubicka produced a close finish and a shock result. The outsider Profil, owned by Mikrop Čebín-Sunnyfarm, trained by Jiri Janda, and ridden by Michal Köhl, won in a blanket finish from Del Sole, Sixteen, Mr Land and Welldancer, with just over two lengths between first and fifth. Other finishers, which also qualify for the big race, were, in descending order, Juventus, Jung, Derby Sharp, Korinka, Baccarat, Claudio, Rubin and Lirain. Hirsch was pulled up, Marath and Red Dancer fell, and German Malt and Numero Due unseated their riders.

The race was run at a good pace, and it was noticeable that the four Vana-trained horses were held back. Numero Due ran prominently for a long way before he unseated his rider, and Profil went with the pace. In the run in, Profil was hotly pursued by the Vana horses, but held on valiantly. This was a meritorious and popular win by Profil for a local stable, but Josef Vana will have been pleased that his horses all had a good outing, got round safely, and are looking good for the big race in October. However, being Josef Vana, he will not be happy that the main prize was won by someone else. Del Sole, which finished second, was the least favoured of Vana's runners. Sixteen was left with a lot to do in the last 500 metres. She seemed to fancy her chances of catching Profil, but the winning post came too soon. Welldancer, ridden here by Rafaelle Romano, also did well to finish 5th. Juventus was a few lengths back in sixth place, but was not given a hard race. Fourth-placed Mr Land is no longer trained Josef Vana, and is now in Pavel Slozil's yard. By the way, Josef Vana snr has declared that he intends to ride Welldancer in the VP, and would have been in the saddle on Saturday if he had not had an injured arm.

Third qualifying race. August 22^nd, 2009

Sixteen impresses

The Skanska Grand Prix, third of the four qualification races for the the Velka Pardubicka, which will be run on October 11th, produced a winner with all the credentials to win the big race. Though Sixteen won the VP in 2007 and 2008, she has generally been considered a less than great champion. In 2007, she did not beat much, and in 2008 she only won on the disqualification of a better horse, Amant Gris, and in general she has a good rather than an excellent record. This time, however, she was formidable. She took the lead as early as the Snake Ditch and never looked like being headed. In the finishing straight she pulled away very impressively.

Mandarino was a creditable second. He has been second in all his four starts this year, twice on the crosscountry course at Pardubice, in the June and August qualification races, and twice in park track chases, on May 1st at Lysa and at the end of June at Pardubice , where he chased the outstanding Royal Mougins home. Third place went to Gawain, which is not entered for the VP. The rest were some way back. Tiumen was 4^th, Ligreta 5^th, followed by Montgomery, Marath and, finally, Hirsch and Rooseveldt. There were four non-finishers, including Baggio and Numero Due, which are potential contenders if they can qualify next time. Marka and Purpur

Twenty six of the Czech entries for the VP have now qualified, but Wrbna Racing and trainer Cestmir Olehla are still without a runner. Baggio fell at Havel 's jump. It is hard to imagine Wrbna Racing having no runner in the VP for a second year, and they will no doubt have at least one runner in the final qualifying race, on Saturday September 12th.

Another non-qualifier was Numero Due, which finished 4th in VP 2008. For the third time at Pardubice this year, he come home without his rider.

Josef Vana snr plans to have three or four runners in the VP. Juventus, which has had a setback, will not be among them. Vana is also not reckoning with Welldancer, which Vana himself had been intending to ride on October 11th. Vana's runners are likely to be Sixteen, Del Sole, Pocci and Tiumen, which finished 4th in the August qualification race.

Fourth qualifying race. September 12^th, 2009

Gawain wins the last qualifying race

The last of the four qualifying races for the Velka Pardubicka was run on rock hard ground on September 12th. No doubt, some horses and riders will be sore for at least a few days after, as these were extreme conditions even for Czech crosscountry steeplechasing. However, as far as is known, the qualifying race turned out well. Gawain, which had run very well to finish third to Sixteen in the August qualifying race, took the lead in the finishing straight and won fairly comfortably. 7-y-o Gawain is not entered for the Velka Pardubicka, and owner and trainer say he will not go for the Velka until next year. However, it is thought that at least one of our major owners will be making an offer for this much improved horse, with a view to paying the supplementary entry fee and running him this year.

Two horses that had failed to qualify earlier got round safely. Numero Uno ran prominently and jumped safely this time. When challenged by Gawain, he was not given a hard race. Red Dancer also ran prominently, but dropped back and in the end was just hacked over the line to qualify for the big race on October 11th.

Third place went to Pocci, trained by Josef Vana. Pocci was ridden by Slovak jockey Jan Korpas, his planned partner on October 11th, and the reliable but not very fast Mr Land came 4th. Korinka was 5th, Claudio 6th, Lirain 7th, and Red Dancer 8th. Ligreta and Lakreg fell, but have already qualified for the VP. 5-y-o Valldemoso, who came down rather spectacularly at the Irish Fence but appeared to walk away unhurt, is too young for the 2009 VP.

Sixteen wins her second Velka Pardubicka in record time

Sixteen runners and riders set out on the 118^th running of the Velka Pardubicka on a mild October afternoon. There had been some light fog all day, but the sun finally broke though just about in time for the race. The going was good to firm, and the surface was no longer slippery, as it had been earlier in the day due to condensation.

This was the long-awaited confrontation in the Velka Pardubicka between Josef Van’a senior and his son, Josef junior. Both were on horses trained by Josef senior. Father was on Juventus, who started favourite, son was on Decent Fellow, winner of the race in 2006 and placed in the prize money in all of the six previous seasons. However, at the age of 13, Decent was entitled to be past his best. Josef Van’a had four runners in the race, the others being Sixteen, ridden by stable jockey Josef Bartos, and Mr Land , ridden by Libor Sedlar.

Klip, which had been unhappy in the parade before the race, took the early lead and set a strong pace. All 16 runners got over the Taxis fence without the slightest trouble, and followed Klip straight up and over the Irish Bank. The Popkovice Turn, fence No. 6, was less tidy, but all got round safely. The race continued at a hot pace until what turned out to be the crucial point. As they approached Fence 10b, three horses went the wrong side of the marker nearest to the fence. These were Klip, his stable mate, Amant Gris, and British-trained Ivoire de Beaulieu. The rest of the field was in danger of following the leaders, but jockey Jaroslav Myska shouted out that they had gone wrong. Josef Van’a junior, on Decent Fellow, and Josef Bartos, on Sixteen, pulled their horses sharply to the left, and kept all the rest of the field on course. Exactly what happened to Klip at the Fence 10b is not clear, but he came down and broke a leg. Jockey Jan Faltejsek, who had earlier ridden two winners, was clearly distraught.

Jockeys Marek Stromsky and Keith Mercer should have pulled up after missing the marker, but both continued with the race. They claimed afterwards that they had not realized their mistake. In the case of Keith Mercer, who had only ridden at the course twice before, this is believable – going off course is an integral part of cross-country racing. That Marek Stromsky rode on is regrettable, but in the heat and speed of the race things happen that we in our grandstand seats, and with the benefit of hindsight, should not criticize, only sympathize with.

The race went on, fast and furious. Amant Gris and Ivoire de Beaulieu continued in front. British-trained Nadover, who had appeared not to like the course too much, put a foot in the Big Water Jump (No. 18), and was pulled up after that. By the time the horses were crossing the ploughed field and approaching No. 27, only nine were still standing, including Amant Gris and Ivoire de Beaulieu. Sixteen went after Amant Gris. Juventus, Hirsch and Numero Due tried to get into contention. The Italian challenger, Fatal Mac, had had enough, and was pulled up after the 27th. Ivoire de Beaulieu was coming to the end of his tether. Decent Fellow and Mr Land battled on. In the run in, Amant Gris held Sixteen, the two of them pulling away from the rest. Hirsch, surprisingly but meritoriously, was third past the post, followed by Juventus, Numero Due and Ivoire de Beaulieu, with Decent Fellow and Mr Land some way behind.

Amant Gris, who would surely have won if he had not gone off course, and Ivoire de Beaulieu were then disqualified. Sixteen’s jockey, Josef Bartos, was not sure that he had won the race until after the finish, and was to a considerable extent denied his moment of triumph. Sixteen had indeed won the race in record time, and was the first ever to break the nine-minute barrier. Amant Gris’ rider, Marek Stromsky, was very upset, and even the Pardubice stewards, known for their fierceness, had not the heart to punish him seriously for his offence. Everyone was sorry for trainer Milan Theimer and owner Josef Hajek, who were not only denied victory for their horse but for the second successive year had one of their horses killed in the race. Josef Hajek, who restored and revived the Albertovec stud, had been very ill for a long time, and passed away in the night after the race, at the age of only 57.

The foreign horses all failed to be classified, though Ivoire de Beaulieu was sixth past the post and ran prominently until the last 800 metres. Jockey Keith Mercer will not have needed the unsympathetic words offered by the trainer. Much worse things happen in cross-country chasing than the jockey missing a marker and finishing 6^th.

I report the race here as I saw it, and as I reflect on it. Others, I think, saw it as a wonderful spectacle and a rousing race on a lovely late afternoon in October, and would not have dwelled so much on bad luck stories. Such an interpretation is indeed valid, and perhaps I should loosen up! Let me end with the story of what we all hope is 55-year-old Josef Vana’s last ride in the Velka Pardubicka. In the course of the race, he twice lost his whip, yet he managed to have a whip in his hand as he passed the finishing post! At the 27th, he saw that Raffaele Romano had been unseated from Fatal Mac, and asked him for his whip. Raffaele misunderstood and offered him his goggles, but Josef grabbed the whip and rode on. How and where the first whip was dropped is not recorded, but the second whip was soon fumbled, and Josef again found himself whipless and riding alongside the Van’a stable’s 4^th choice, Mr Land , ridden by young Libor Sedlar. Mr Land was beginning to lose touch, and the trainer begged or asked or most likely ordered the young man to give him his whip. This is probably a grave offence against the rules of racing, but not even the fiercest chief steward would risk taking the Living Legend to task over it.

Josef Van’a himself joked afterwards that his inability to hold on to a whip was a sign that it might be time to give up race riding. When Spring comes round, however, he may feel young again, and might change his mind. Nevertheless, his 56^th birthday comes before the end of this month, and it is time for this wonderful personality to hang up his boots and concentrate his extraordinary energy on training and on being the celebrity that can draw attention to Czech horse racing not only on Velka Pardubicka day but throughout the year.

***

1. SIXTEEN

2. HIRSCH

3. JUVENTUS

4. NUMERO DUE

5. DECENT FELLOW

6. MR LAND

Distances: 11 lengths; 5 lengths; neck; 18 lengths; 17 lengths

Time: 8 minutes, 58.49 seconds (record time for the Velka Pardubicka)

AMANT GRIS ran out before the Extended Taxis Fence, obstacle 10 a

IVOIRE DE BEAULIEU ran out before the Extended Taxis Fence, obstacle 10 a

KLIP ran out before the Extended Taxis Fence, obstacle 10 a

JUNG unseated his rider at the Drop, obstacle 15

PROFIL unseated his rider at the Snake Ditch, obstacle 17

MARATH was brought down at the Snake Ditch, obstacle 17

ICARE DU RENOM unseated his rider at the Big Water Jump, obstacle 18

KASJER was pulled up after the Big Garden Fences, obstacle 21

NADOVER was pulled up after the Big English Fence, obstacle 25

FATAL MAC was pulled up after Havel's Jump, obstacle 27

(The three horses that missed the marker before Obstacle 10 a continued in the race. Klip fell at Obstacle 10 a, Amant Gris crossed the finishing line in first place, and Ivoire de Beaulieu crossed the finishing line in sixth place. Amant Gris and Ivoire de Beaulieu were disqualified.)

****

Race conditions

VELKA PARDUBICKA CROSS-COUNTRY STEEPLECHASE (Listed) 6900 metres

Total prize money 4.550.000 Kč (2.250.000 – 1.035.000 – 675.000 – 315.000 – 225.000)
Owner’s prize for a Czech-bred horse 50.000 (25.000-15.000-10.000)

Prizes for the owner, trainer and rider of the winning horse will be awarded by the race sponsor, Česká pojišťovna, a.s. A prize will be awarded to the owner of the winning horse by the mayor of the town of Pardubice . A prize will be awarded to the owner of the winning horse by the Czech Steeplechase Association. Gold brooches will be awarded to the owner, trainer and rider of the winning horse by the board of Dostihovy spolek. Prizes for the riders of the horses finishing in 2nd – 5th place will be awarded by Dostihovy spolek. The ceremonial announcement after the race will be attended by the owner, trainer and rider of the winning horse and also by the riders of the horses placed 2nd – 5th.

For 6-year-olds and older, which have fulfilled the following qualifying requirements:

Horses of Czech and Slovak owners must have completed at least one of the Qualifying Races in 2009, without falling or refusing. The Qualifying Races are races Nos. 4031, 4041, 4061 and 4071 at Pardubice racecourse. Horses of foreign owners must since 15.10.2008 have completed at least one steeplechase or cross-country steeplechase over a distance of at least 4 800 metres without falling or refusing. The winner of the 118th Velka Pardubicka is allowed to run without pre-qualifying.

It is a condition for the participation of the rider that he/she must have ridden at least 10 winners over fences in his/her career, and must have finished at least one steeplechase or cross-country steeplechase in 2008, or alternatively must have been placed at least 10 times in races over fences in his/her career and completed at least one of the Qualifying Races for the Velka Pardubicka in 2009.

Weight: 67 kg. Mares have an allowance of 2 kg.

All runners must participate in the veterinary inspection on Sunday 11.10.2009. The inspection takes place from 8.00 a.m. in the paddock area, in the presence of the owner of the horse, his representative or trainer. All runners must participate in the parade in front of the main stands. All riders are required to wear on both sleeves the emblem bearing the name of the race, and all grooms leading out the horses are required to wear the jacket and cap of the sponsor.

Entries close on Thurs 28.5.2009 at 12 midday 10.000 Czech crowns
1st supplementary entries close on Thurs 27.8.2009 at 12 midday 45.000 Czech crowns
2nd supplementary entries close on Thurs 24.9.2009 at 12 midday 92.000 Czech crowns
3rd supplementary entries close on Thurs 1.10.2009 at 12 midday 100.000 Czech crowns
Declaration to run. Fri. 2.10.2009 at 10 a.m. 45.000 Czech crowns
Declaration of riders. Fri. 2.10.2009 at 2 p.m.

Sixteen wins her second Velka Pardubicka in record time

***

1. SIXTEEN

2. HIRSCH

3. JUVENTUS

4. NUMERO DUE

5. DECENT FELLOW

6. MR LAND

Distances: 11 lengths; 5 lengths; neck; 18 lengths; 17 lengths

Time: 8 minutes, 58.49 seconds (record time for the Velka Pardubicka)

AMANT GRIS ran out before the Extended Taxis Fence, obstacle 10 a

IVOIRE DE BEAULIEU ran out before the Extended Taxis Fence, obstacle 10 a

KLIP ran out before the Extended Taxis Fence, obstacle 10 a

JUNG unseated his rider at the Drop, obstacle 15

PROFIL unseated his rider at the Snake Ditch, obstacle 17

MARATH was brought down at the Snake Ditch, obstacle 17

ICARE DU RENOM unseated his rider at the Big Water Jump, obstacle 18

KASJER was pulled up after the Big Garden Fences, obstacle 21

NADOVER was pulled up after the Big English Fence, obstacle 25

FATAL MAC was pulled up after Havel's Jump, obstacle 27

****

Race conditions

VELKA PARDUBICKA CROSS-COUNTRY STEEPLECHASE (Listed) 6900 metres

Total prize money 4.550.000 Kč (2.250.000 – 1.035.000 – 675.000 – 315.000 – 225.000)
Owner’s prize for a Czech-bred horse 50.000 (25.000-15.000-10.000)

For 6-year-olds and older, which have fulfilled the following qualifying requirements:

Weight: 67 kg. Mares have an allowance of 2 kg.

Race conditions

VELKA PARDUBICKA CROSS-COUNTRY STEEPLECHASE (Listed) 6900 metres

Total prize money 4.550.000 Kč
4.500.000 Kč (2.250.000 – 1.035.000 – 675.000 – 315.000 – 225.000)
Owner’s prize for a Czech-bred horse 50.000 (25.000-15.000-10.000)

Prizes for the owner, trainer and rider of the winning horse will be awarded by the race sponsor, Česká pojišťovna, a.s. A prize will be awarded to the owner of the winning horse by the mayor of the town of Pardubice. A prize will be awarded to the owner of the winning horse by the Czech Steeplechase Association. Gold brooches will be awarded to the owner, trainer and rider of the winning horse by the board of Dostihovy spolek. Prizes for the riders of the horses finishing in 2nd – 5th place will be awarded by Dostihovy spolek. The ceremonial announcement after the race will be attended by the owner, trainer and rider of the winning horse and also by the riders of the horses placed 2nd – 5th.