Del Rey catches Theophilos on the line

When the horses came on to the grass track 600 metres from home, it seemed obvious that Theophilos, benefitting from his earlier run at Lysá nad Labem, was in no danger of being beaten. However, in the finishing straight, 7-y-o Del Rey, the youngest horse in the field, put in a big challenge. When the two horses crossed the line, Del Rey was ahead of 2019 Velka Pardubicka winner Theophilos, ridden by Josef Bartoš, by a nose.

Theophilos had set out as the 4:1 favourite for the race over a distance of 5800 metres, followed in the betting by Player and No Time To Lose. The winning horse, trained by Zdeňěk Mimra, started out at odds of 17:1.

The pace was set by the experienced Stretton, ridden by Jaroslav Myška, which led for most of the race. Mr Spex and Player also ran prominently. The two Slovak-trained runners, Star (Matuský) and Paris Eiffel (Cagán), were at the rear of the field.

The field was closely bunched and jumped reliably. When they set out on the last 600 metres on the racetrack, Stretton was in front with Player, followed by Theophilos. Theophilos then stepped up the pace, and it seemed clear that he was heading for victory. The rest of the field stayed together. Player was in second place, followed by Stretton. Del Rey then improved his position, put in a strong finish, and passed the post ahead of Theophilos by a nose. Only the photo finish was able to separate them.

“I secretly thought he’d stretched out his nose. Del Rey has some talent, and he keeps improving. It’s up to the owner whether he’ll be aimed at the Velka at the age of seven – but  I think he will,“ said the winning trainer, Zdeněk Mimra, who trains at Častolovické Horky, in the Hradec Kralové district.

The winning rider was Jakub Kocman, who on Saturday moved up to 47 lifetime winning rides, and now needs only three more wins to earn the title of “jockey“. At last Saturday’s meeting, he repeated his win from the opening raceday of the 2022 season at Pardubice. He won again on Lianel, which will be one of the favourites for the Popler Memorial on Velka Pardubicka day. However, it is not clear whether the horse will be aimed at the race for crosscountry sprinters in October. “The Válečník Stakes (again over a distance of 3300 metres) lies ahead, but Lianel could also easily run over a longer distance,“ according to his trainer, Stanislav Popelka.

No-one scored a hat-trick of wins last Saturday, but Stanislav Popelka also won with Yara in the Town of Pardubice Municipal Services Stakes. Other actors also scored doubles – jockey  Pavel Složil, owner Dr. Charvát, and jockey Jan Faltejsek. Faltejsek won on Coupstar, and also in the black-and-white colours of Maková Panenka. “Faltejsek made sure that she won, but we got a good impression, although the mare made some mistakes. She made up for everything between the obstacles,“ said the trainer‘s assistant Radim Petřík.

Forever Dry is a grey to be kept in mind. He is trained for Statek Blata Český ráj by Josef Váňa. He led almost all the way round, and jumped very well. He was returning after more than a year away from the track. “Owner Josef Dufek waited patiently, and the horse has paid him back. He put in a super performance, and it is just  matter of his health,“ was trainer Josef Váňa’s assessment.

Full results are available on www.dostihyjc.cz

SUMMARY OF HORSES QUALIFIED FOR THE VELKA PARDUBICKA