The second Sunday in October traditionally belongs to the Velká Pardubická, and this year will be no exception. Although only ten horses will line up at the start – the fewest since 1993 – the quality of the field is high. Among the eight home-grown horses are two who have already made it onto the Velká Pardubická winners’ list, whilst the two foreign guests, just as last year, include a winner of the cross-country race that forms part of the famous Cheltenham Festival.
The Tipsport betting market for the 136th Velká Pardubická, sponsored by Slavia pojišťovna and held under the patronage of the Minister of Agriculture, Martin Šebestyán (L, 6,900 m), is currently dominated by the Cheltenham winner, Final Orders. In addition to his undoubted class, his team also plays a key role, as it was Irish trainer Gavin Cromwell and jockey Keith Donoghue who celebrated victory at Pardubice a year ago with Stumtown. Final Orders clearly beat Stumtown at Cheltenham in March, although he also benefited from a significant weight advantage. He subsequently confirmed his quality in the famous Grand National, Europe’s most lucrative steeplechase. In a field of thirty-four, he secured seventh place. Although he ended up on the losing side in the hurdle race in Bellewstown, Ireland, after the summer break, it was primarily a warm-up ahead of his race in Pardubice.
Among the home runners, Godfrey is the favourite on paper. Dalibor Török’s charge shared the victory in the Velká Pardubická with Sexy Lord the year before last, but an injury thwarted his bid to defend the title. He therefore did not start the current season until the September qualifying race, when he returned to the track after a break of more than fifteen months. It was, however, an impressive comeback, as he won in commanding fashion. He was ridden that day by Lenka Neprašová, who successfully stepped in for the injured Jan Faltejs. Faltejs is now fit, though, so he is returning to the saddle on Godfrey and will be aiming for his eighth victory in the Velká Pardubická.
That does not mean, however, that Lenka Neprašová will be entering the Velká Pardubická without a good chance. She will be mounting Sacamir, the winner of our most famous race in 2023. Even Eva Petříková’s charge has not yet had the chance to build on his career-defining result, as health issues prevented him from competing last year or the year before. At thirteen years of age – making him by far the oldest horse in the field – he has nevertheless staged a successful comeback. In June’s qualifying race, he finished second over a distance of 5,200 metres, which was actually too short for him.
Two medallists from last year’s Velká Pardubická are also set to line up at the start. In that race, Stumptown’s main rival was High In The Sky, who did an excellent job of standing in for his half-brother and stablemate Godfrey. Although he finished some way behind the winner in his two placings in this year’s qualifying races, a return to the nearly seven-kilometre distance will suit him well. Ondřej Velek will take the reins for the first time. Čáryjape (jockey Čmiel) caused a shock by finishing third a year ago, having started as the biggest outsider. Although Martin Liška’s charge finished among the losers in his only start this year, he was in even poorer form ahead of last year’s Velká Pardubická, so he must not be underestimated.
Two other horses also have experience of the Velká Pardubická, having made their debut in the race last year. Veronika Lempochnerová’s charge, Araucarias, crossed the line last among the horses that made it to the finish. Most recently, however, he finished second in the qualifying race in August, which is undoubtedly his best performance in the Velká Pardubická. What’s more, he will benefit from the support of Josef Bartoš, a three-time Velká Pardubická winner and the current leader of the steeplechase championship. Dumon Roclay (jockey Novák) came to a halt at the Great English Jump a year ago, though he had been well on his way until then. Like Godfrey, Přemek Kejzlar’s charge did not begin this season until the September qualifier, yet he was still in the lead going into the penultimate jump. He eventually finished in fifth place.
The remaining three horses, like Final Orders, will be making their debut in the Velká Pardubická. The second foreign horse in the field is Hard Roc De Kerser, who is trained in France by Patrice Quinton. This year, he has been regularly finishing in the placings in smaller French steeplechases, but this will be his first attempt at such a long distance, and neither he nor his jockey, Jean-Stéphane Lebrun, have any experience of the Velká Pardubická.
The extra metres are also a question mark for Angkor Wat (jockey Odložil). Stanislav Popelka’s charge has, in any case, already won twice at the Velká Pardubická meeting, having dominated the Labe Prize in commanding fashion last year following the Popler Memorial. Moreover, following a lacklustre performance in June’s qualifier, he showed improvement in September’s qualifying race, finishing third. Greek Dessert can also boast a victory at the Velká Pardubická meeting, having reigned supreme four years ago at the highlight of the season for four-year-old steeple-chasers, namely the ČASCH Prize. In the years that followed, a little more was expected of Pavel Tůma’s charge; however, last year’s bronze in the Vltava Prize and fifth place in the August qualifying race prove that he remains among the very best.
The supporting programme for the Velká Pardubická is also appealing. After all, on Pardubice Sunday, there will be a further six races, all of them – with one exception – are Class 1 events. Whilst their starting lists are not particularly long, they do feature a number of domestic stars.
It is worth noting that the first race starts at 11.00 am and the highlight of the programme is scheduled for 3.30 pm. If you are unable to attend the racecourse in person, the whole day’s racing will, as usual, be broadcast live on Czech television.
TICKETS
Seated tickets are currently SOLD OUT.
There are still plenty of standard tickets available.
Only standing tickets are available for purchase.
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