1 – KLARC KENT
In the spring, it looked like he would win the Scottish Grand National, but in the end he finished a length behind in second place, after coming fourth in the same race the year before. He then had a fall in the Gold Cup at Sandown, when he was no longer in the best position. What’s more, he was significantly unbalanced there. His British rating is 128 lb, which is decent by our standards. However, after the June auction, he did not arrive in the best condition, and it is questionable whether he might need a longer break after a demanding program. He appeared in the last qualifier, but we know nothing about his current form because he was exported by Ztracenka before the Popkovice jump.
Ondřej Velek previously worked in Switzerland, and in recent years he was often employed by the Váňa family, for whom he won several major races in the Czech Republic and Italy. With their No Time To Lose, he finished fourth in the Velká pardubická in 2021, and last year he finished in the same place with Star, which was his tenth participation in this race. This year, he appeared on horses trained by Pavel Tůma and won a million-dollar qualifying race with Fort Medoc.
2 – CAVALRY MASTER
He is a better horse than the one the trainer brought to the Velká Pardubická two years ago. He used to race in Ireland for one of the biggest stables, Gigginstown House Stud, and as a rookie he had a rating of 139 lb. However, his form declined, he was sold in the winter and tried cross country in Punchestown without success. He was last in action in Galway after a long break, but his current rating is only 110 lb and he is not entirely reliable over jumps.
Sean O’Keeffe rode his first winner in 2017 at the age of 18. Since then, he has racked up over 200 victories. His greatest successes are mostly associated with the horses of Irish steeplechase champion Willie Mullins. He won with Galopin Des Champs and Energumen before they became such stars. He has won several times at the Cheltenham Festival. Two years ago, he rode Jet Fighter in the Velká pardubická, finishing last.
3 – CHELMSFORD
Already as a four-year-old, he dominated his entire age group and remained among the best in the following years. He used to be temperamental, which caused him to narrowly lose the Labe Prize three years ago. Since then, however, he has calmed down and had no problem with the length of the qualifier. Rather, it was his health. Two years ago, he ended the season immediately after winning the first qualifier, and last year he lasted two races, dominating the August qualifier in style after his spring defeat by Godfrey. This year, he returned victorious after a year’s break, confidently defeating last year’s Velká pardubická winner Sexy Lord. He would need softer terrain for his delicate legs.
Jan Kratochvíl is a two-time steeplechase champion. He won the Velká pardubická in 2017 with No Time To Lose and the Gran Premio Merano with Mazhilis. He is extremely successful in Lysá nad Labem, where he won eight editions of the Prvomájová steeplechase and three Eva Palyzová Memorials. With Chelmsford, he won three qualifying races for the Velká pardubická, and his latest success was winning the Gran Corsa Siepi di Merano.
4 – CUWAL
He didn’t look like he belonged among the top contenders. In June’s 5200-meter race, it seemed that he didn’t even have the stamina. He entered the August qualifying race with odds of 65:1, but he surprised everyone when he set the pace for most of the race and was only beaten by Chelmsford and Sexy Lord in the end, narrowly fending off Sacamir’s attack.
Jakub Kocman has been racing for eighteen years, but he has only achieved greater success in recent years, winning five grade 1 races, including the 2022 Velká pardubická qualifying race with Del Rey. That same year, he finished third with Sacamiro in the Velká pardubická, his best result in seven starts.
5 – STUMPTOWN
Two years ago, he was a close second in a major handicap for newcomers over 5200 meters at the Cheltenham Festival. He also celebrated in Cheltenham on New Year’s Day 2024, when he earned a rating of 148 lb for an easy win in a handicap. However, he achieved his greatest successes after switching to cross country. Except for his first start, when he was knocked down by a loose horse, he has never been beaten. Whether it was at home in Ireland at Punchestown or at Cheltenham, where he easily won a handicap with a rating of 157 lb at the festival.
Keith Donoghue has won a number of major races in Ireland. What is important for us is that he has excellent results in cross country at Cheltenham. He has won the cross country at the Cheltenham Festival five times. Three times with Grand National winner Tiger Roll, once with Delta Work, and this year with Stumptown, his regular partner. Last year, he also gained experience in the Velká pardubická, in which he covered almost the entire course with Coko Beach.
6 – ZTRACENKA
She used to score mainly among mares, but last year she finished second in the Labe Prize. She started this season even better, when only Sexy Lord beat her in the final meters of the first qualifier. Unfortunately, she was unable to confirm this performance in the last qualifying race, when she slowed down on the Irish Bank and threw off her rider. Her current form is therefore unknown.
Jan Odložil has worked his way up to become one of our leading jockeys in recent years. He first made his mark on the top scene five years ago when he won the Velká pardubická qualifying race with Sottovento. He had his best season three years ago when he replaced the injured Jan Faltejsek on Jiří Charvát’s horses and became champion. His best result in the Velká pardubická so far has been sixth place twice.
7 – GENTLEMAN DE REVE
He raced longer cross country distances in France. Three years ago, he beat our Gap Pierji, who won the Crystal Cup in Wroclaw last year. This spring, he came second in the Grand Cross de Lyon over 5200 meters. Most recently, he came third in the Grand Cross de Moulins over 5500 meters, which was his second start in September. He was then purchased by American owners who were behind Jeremy Passe’s participation last year.
Teddy Davies is a young American amateur who won the Maryland Hunt Cup three years ago, following in the footsteps of his parents, as his father Joseph Davies won this race over wooden fences three times and his mother Blythe once. Last year, he rode Jeremy Pass in the Velká pardubická, but was held back in the final stretch.
8 – DUMON ROCLAY
Last year, he won the Labe Prize ahead of Ztracenka and Zarate with an offensive tactic. It was surprising because he had not shown anything like that before. And he has not shown anything this year either, apart from his victory in the bumper. He probably overdid it in the first qualifying race, but he was not in the game in the August qualifier either.
Marcel Novák began riding in 1994, but did not win his first of two championship titles until 2017. He has competed in the Velká pardubická fourteen times. He has seventeen first-place victories to his credit and has won the Velká Pardubická qualifying race four times. In the Velká Pardubická, he was previously partnered with Kasim, with whom he placed three times, and in recent years with Player, with whom he placed second in 2020. Last year, he won the Labe Prize with Dumon Roclay.
9 – HIGH IN THE SKY
The half-brother of last year’s winner Godfrey often makes mistakes. Last year, he literally breezed through Taxis, but this year he failed to finish two qualifiers. He ran solidly in the million-dollar race, even though the slow pace did not allow his endurance to shine. In the preparatory race over 5200 meters, he took his time and, along with the others, let the winner get away. However, he pulled back decently, and every extra meter should be an advantage for him.
Jan Faltejsek is a seven-time winner of the Velká pardubická steeplechase. He won three times with Orphee Des Blins, once with Charme Look, Tzigane Du Berlais, Sacamiro, and last year he added his current win with Godfrey. He spent a large part of his career abroad. In Britain, he won the Cleeve Hurdle with Knockara Beau, and in France he worked with champion trainer Guillaume Macaire. He has had a number of major successes in Italy, where he won the Grande Steeple Chase d’Europa six times and won the Gran Premio Merano with Al Bustan in 2017.
10 – ZARATE
Last year, he ranked among the best with third place in the final qualifying race and battled it out with Dumon Roclay and Ztracenka in the Labe Prize. He fought her again in the first qualifying race, where both performed surprisingly well and were only beaten by Sexy Lord. However, his warm-up for the Velká pardubická did not go as planned when he lost his jockey on the Irish Bank.
James Best is not among the British elite, but he has won about 300 races. He won the grade 1 novices’ chase at Sandown and twice won the Becher Chase at the Grand National circuit in Aintree. He competed in the Velká pardubická four times, finishing sixth with Rathlin Rose the first time and fourth with Lombargini the best he has done. Last year, he came third in the Labe Prize with Zarate.
11 – ČÁRYJAPE
Two years ago, he was second in the Labe Prize, but with a significant loss to Sexy Lord. Last year, in his only start, he easily won the 5200-meter cross country race. He has had health problems and did not start racing until August this year. However, in both starts, he fell significantly short of his previous performance, even though the first race was too short for him and in the last qualifying race he could have set a faster pace, which would have allowed him to make better use of his stamina.
Adam Čmiel has been riding since 2009, but has only won one grade 1 race in Slušovice so far. He has competed in the Velká pardubická three times, but without success. He came second in the Labe Prize with Čáryjape.
12 – DULCAR DE SIVOLA
He showed promise at the start of his career, but failed to build on it in subsequent years. Although he was a reliable jumper and always finished the Velká pardubická steeplechase, he was always among the last to cross the finish line. However, a major turning point came when he changed trainers during last season. He surprised everyone with an easy win in the preparatory race and finished third in the Velká pardubická. He didn’t show much in this year’s first qualifiers, but the stable was out of form in the spring. In addition, the million-dollar qualifying race didn’t get underway until the end, and he is already getting on in years. However, he won the last qualifier with ease.
Lukáš Matuský is Slovakia’s most successful steeplechase jockey. He has achieved numerous major successes in Italy, where he has won the Gran Corsa Siepi di Merano four times. He also won the Wielka Wroclawska. He has won the Velká pardubická twice, in 2020 with Hegnus and in 2023 with Mr Spex. In recent years, however, he has not been spared injuries. After a fall in Merano in the spring, he returned in August. Since then, he has won three races, including the qualifying race with Dulcar De Sivola, and came third in the Gran Premio Merano.
13 – ARAUCARIAS
He competed in major cross country races in France, and although he did not achieve great success, he measured himself against high-quality horses. He got a taste of the Pardubice race in the first qualifying race, and even then he faltered slightly on the Irish bank. In June, he fought for first place in a 5,200-meter cross-country race, but in the third qualifying race, he refused to jump the Irish bank, and in the last one, he cleared it with a big loss. Thanks to the slow pace of the race, he managed to catch up and finished second, but in the Velká Pardubická, every hesitation is punished.
Josef Bartoš is our most successful steeplechase jockey. This year, he surpassed 900 victories in steeplechase and, together with flat races, he has 1,000 victories. The multiple Czech and Italian champion has won the Velká pardubická three times. In 2006 with Decent Fellow, in 2008 with Sixteen, and in 2019 with Theophilos. He won the Gran Premio Merano four times with L’Estran and came fifth in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris with Suroit.
14 – SEXY LORD
Endurance is his strong point, which was evident in his victory in the Velká Slušovice three years ago. Since then, he has worked his way up to the top of cross-country racing. Two years ago, he won the Labe Prize, and last year he focused on the Velká Pardubická, where he shared first place after a thrilling battle. This year, he won the first qualifier, slowing down for a moment before beating Ztracenka and Zarate in the finish. However, this tactic did not work against Chelmsford in the August qualifier, who beat him by a length.
Jaroslav Myška is one of our most experienced jockeys. He has won the championship title five times and over 60 grade 1 races. However, victory in the Velká pardubická eluded him for a long time. He came second with Evžen, third twice, and fourth three times. It was not until last year that he succeeded with Sexy Lord. They fought a battle with Godfrey, which ultimately resulted in the current finish.
15 – STORMMY
He is known for running at the back of the field and relying on his finishing kick. However, he has never won, and although he looked promising at four years old, he has not shown much in recent years. His stamina is also in question, as the slow pace of the last qualifier did not fully test him. He finished third, but second-placed Araucarias and fourth-placed Star had to pull back after mistakes in the race.
Martin Liška started riding in the first half of the 1990s, but his best season was in 2014, when he finished in the top ten in the championship. He has four first-place victories to his credit, including with Argan in the Velká pardubická qualifying race. He has ridden in the Velká pardubická a total of fourteen times, with his best result being fourth in 2006 and fifth with Argan three years ago.
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