The second Sunday in October traditionally belongs to the Velká Pardubická, and this year will be no different. Fifteen horses will line up at the start, unfortunately missing two winners from previous years, Sacamiro and Godfrey, due to injury. Even so, there is no shortage of interesting names on the starting list. The domestic lineup is dominated by the trio of winners of this year’s qualifying races, while among the three foreign guests, Stumptown, who won cross-country races in Punchestown, Ireland, and Cheltenham, England, is the clear favorite.
Currently, Ireland’s Stumptown is the slight favorite for the 135th Velká pardubická with Slavia pojišťovna under the auspices of Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný (L, 6900 m). After all, he will enter our most famous and, with a prize fund of five million crowns, also richest race with an impressive track record. Gavin Cromwell’s protégé has already shown his high quality in classic steeplechases, achieving a rating of 149 pounds, but he has really shone since switching to cross-country. He made his debut in this discipline last May, when he lost his rider after contact with a loose horse. However, just two days later, he won at Punchestown, added another success there after the summer break, and then remained undefeated twice at Cheltenham. Particularly valuable is his success in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase handicap, in which he carried the highest weight and still finished 7 lengths ahead. He then headed to the famous Grand National, but was slowed down by several collisions and was eventually held back. The proven Keith Donoghue, who is already a five-time winner of the island’s biggest cross-country race, the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase, will once again take his place in the saddle. Let us remind you that he already got a taste of the Pardubice track last year, when he finished at the Havel jump with Coko Beach.
Gentleman de Reve (jockey Davies) will arrive from France, having completed five cross-country races on home turf this year and always finishing in the top five. Emmanuel Clayeux’s protégé is therefore reliable, but has so far preferred shorter distances. Irish trainer Peter Maher will return to the Velká Pardubická after two years. However, Cavalry Master (jockey O’Keeffe), whom he trains, may surprise us. At eleven years old, he is the second oldest horse in the field, and his performance has been declining.
In Tipsport’s betting offer, the top three winners of this year’s qualifiers are the highest-ranked domestic horses. Last year’s Velká pardubická winner Sexy Lord was successful in the opening race. Martina Růžičková’s charge is in excellent form again this year, which he confirmed in August, even though he finished second. He will once again be supported in the saddle by Jaroslav Myška, with whom he has an excellent record of nine starts and six wins.
In August’s qualifying race, Sexy Lord was beaten by Chelmsford (jockey Kratochvíl), who thus defended last year’s victory. A year earlier, however, Josef Váňa’s protégé’s victory was bittersweet, as it became clear shortly after the qualifier that an injury would prevent him from competing for the rest of the season. After all, his health has slowed his career down several times. Now, however, he can finally show his high class at the peak of the season.
In the final qualifying race, which was one of the weaker ones, Dulcar de Sivola (jockey Matuský) came out on top. He has competed in the Velká pardubická six times and has always finished. However, he only entered the fight for the top spots last year, when he moved to trainer Luboš Urbánek, under whose guidance he improved significantly. The oldest horse in the field will thus defend his third place.
The two best horses from the June qualifying race are missing from the start, but the third, High In The Sky, will not be absent. Dalibor Török’s charge finished at Taxis a year ago, but now his chances are boosted by seven-time Velká pardubická winner Jan Faltejsek. The only mare in the starting field, Ztracenka (jockey Odložil), will undoubtedly find her fans as well. Stanislav Popelka’s charge has been proving her quality for many years, but she gave her best performance ever in the May qualifier, where Sexy Lord beat her by only half a length. Her current form is a question mark, as she finished on the Irish bank in September.
Klarc Kent (jockey Velek) is a difficult horse to read. Pavel Tůma’s charge made his Czech debut in September’s qualifying race, but veered off course before the Popkovický jump, just behind Ztracenka. In any case, his silver medal at the Scottish Grand National in April commands respect. Cuwall (jockey Kocman) showed a significant improvement last time out. Pavel Odložil’s charge entered the August qualifying race with odds of 65:1, yet was only beaten by the pair Chelmsford – Sexy Lord.
Veronika Lempochnerová is preparing two horses for the Velká pardubická. Both won medals in one of the qualifying races this year, with Zarate (jockey Best) performing better in May, when he competed against most of the cross-country elite. Despite faltering on the Irish bank, Araucarias finished second in the September qualifying race. Although he has not won as many valuable scalps, he will once again be supported in the saddle by our historically most successful steeplechase jockey, Josef Bartoš. He already has 908 steeplechase victories to his name, and with those on the flat last weekend in Merano, he reached a thousand triumphs.
A year ago, Dumon Roclay (jockey Novák) surprised everyone by winning the Labe Prize. However, Lenka Kvapilová’s protégé did not show much after a victorious warm-up on the flat in two qualifying races. Martin Liška is preparing the pair of horses for the peak of the season. Both only met the qualifying conditions in September, when Stormmy, who will once again be ridden by the trainer himself, performed better. Čáryjape (jockey Čmiel) took a distant fifth place, finishing last. In any case, he only returned to the track in the summer after a health break, so his form may improve.
The Velká pardubická’s supporting program is also attractive. After all, six other races will be run during Pardubice Sunday, all of which, with one exception, are grade one races, with a number of domestic stars on their starting lists.
The first race starts at 11 a.m., and the highlight of the program is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. If you can’t make it to the racecourse in person, Czech Television will broadcast the entire day’s racing live, as usual.
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