Chelmsford wins the 3rd qualification race for the 134th running of the Velka Pardubicka with Slavia Insurance

His jockey rides three winners in the afternoon

The winner of the third qualification race for the 134^th running of the Velka Pardubicka with Slavia Insurance was 8-y-o Chelmsford. He was ridden by Jan Kratochvíl, who rode a hat-trick of winners on the afternoon. Just one horse’s name was added to the list of horses qualified for this year’s Velka Pardubicka, and that was Well Absolut.

Jaroslav Myška on Well Absolut set the pace, as he often does in our races, with Adam Čmiel on Sexy Lord accompanying him. Martin Liška and Argano dropped in at the back of the field, as usual, this time together with French jockey Thomas Beaurain, who was on VP 2022 winner Mr Spex. The 12 runners jumped soundly – a feature of all this year’s qualification races. However, Imphal was slow over the Drop, and his French jockey Alexandre Baudoin-Boin, pulled him up. At the same point, his French colleague Thomas Beaurain pulled up Mr Spex.

The only fall in the race was at the plain fence behind the copse, where Del Rey, making his comeback after more than two years off the track, parted company with Lukáš Matuský. After the English fence, with about a kilometre to go, the pace hotted up. Chelmsford took over the lead, followed by Well Absolut and Sexy Lord. Her Him, ridden by the only woman rider in the race, Lenka Neprašová, also still had something left over. Argano, tried to get on terms with them, but he never got nearer than fifth place. Lombargini (Jan Odložil) and Kaiserwalzer (Ondřej Velek) got round in 6th and 7th place. Bilbo d’Assault and Nordstrand were pulled up towards the end of the race and did not fulfil the qualification conditions. After the last fence, Chelmsford drew right away from the field, winning very easily by 18 lengths.

However, Chelmsford was lame at the end of the race, and it remains to be seen how serious his injury will be. “Chelmsford won easily. If his injury is at all serious we’d have to wait with him. If the win has come at the expense of the horse’s health, I won’t be celebrating it,” winning trainer Josef Váňa senior said after the race.

After three of the four qualification races for the 134^th running of the Velka Pardubicka with Slavia Insurance, 24 horses trained in the Czech Republic and Slovakia have fulfilled the qualification requirements. A few days after the race, Josef Váňa senior reported that Chelmsford’s tendon problems will rule him out of this year’s Velka.