There’s a strong international challenge among the 16 declared runners for this year’s 134th renewal of the €200,000 Velka Pardubicka, the most valuable of the 12 Crystal Cup races, to be run at Pardubice on October 13th.

Globe-trotter Gordon Elliott has entered the Gigginstown Stud owned Coko Beach, winner of five of his 25 chase starts, and 11th and 2nd in the last two runnings of the Aintree Grand National. He hasn’t been seen since finishing a 4 1/2l third to Singing Banjo in this Spring’s version of the La Touche Chase at Punchestown, now a leg of the Crystal Cup.

Elliott has form when it comes to international competition. Although he has never previously had a runner in this race, he has successfully plundered races in the US at Far Hills for the last couple of years, and Coko Beach is one to relish the quirks of the Crystal Cup. Keith Donoghue takes the ride on this highest-rated horse in the race.

Rated 32lb lower than Coko Beach, Streets of Doyen represents John McConnell, who has never been one to shy away from tilting at windmills, with notable success. Streets of Doyen unseated his rider in the Punchestown banks race in May behind Singing Banjo, and hasn’t yet been troubling the judge in runs since, including a 25l 5th behind Hang In There in Uttoxeter’s Summer Cup in June. Ben Harvey will be in the plate.

An interesting candidate will be the US – trained Jeremy Pass, from Maryland-based Joseph Davies, for whom a plan to run in this race was hatched way back in April, after his owner won the Maryland Hunt Cup with maiden Blackhall. Similarly rated to Streets of Doyen, Jeremy Pass has taken a hunter chase route to this race, winning at Ballinadenisk and Listowel in May and June, before transferring to Charlie Marshall’s in Dorset, UK for his European campaign. Amateur rider Teddy Davies picks up a plum ride.

Josef Vana Jnr initially entered Gap Pierji, pulled up in Merano last weekend, and Santa Klara, a recent winner at Wroclaw over 5,000m in the colours of Scuderia Aichner. Gap Pierji was scratched this week.

Another of the home-based team with multiple entries is Hana Kabelková. Nine year old Del Ray has yet to win over fences, whilst a successful outcome is more probable from Talent, a 5l second in 2023, or Star, a further length back in third.

A key form line runs through one of the qualifying races here at Pardubice in June, won by Godfrey, trained by Török Dalibor. Behind the 8 year old that day were fellow entries Star, Sexy Lord, Her Him, Argano, Dulcar de Sivola, the now scratched Kaiserwalzer and Lombargini, the last two of these 5th and 4th in this race in 2023, Lombargini under British rider James Best.

Dalibor also fields 7 year old High In The Sky, whose second in a qualifier here in the third week of September had Del Ray and Player behind.

James Best may been booked for the ride on Zataro, trained by Marián Štangel, who has form to make up on several others, based on a distant 7th in a qualifier here in June.