Winners of the famous Velka Pardubicka from outside the Czech Republic has been as rare as hen’s teeth in the past 30 years, but Stumptown leads the charge to become the first ever Irish-trained winner of the race on Sunday since its creation in 1874.

The winner of cross country races at Cheltenham and Punchestown is one of three declarations for the race trained outside the Czech Republic, looking to break a home-trained stranglehold on the race. It’s A Snip in 1995, and before that, Stephen’s Society in 1973, are two in just seven foreign-trained winners of the race in 60 years.

Gavin Cromwell, whose expertise spans major Flat races as much as the top echelon of Jumping, reported Stumptown to have set off for Pardubice on Monday, and will join him there for Sunday’s race, his first visit with a runner, although he attended as a spectator 18 years ago.

“We’re delighted to have a runner. It’s a unique discipline and some stuff at Pardubice will be new to my horse. If he takes to it, he’ll take some beating,” he reported today. Owners, the Furze Bush Syndicate, led by Ger Teahon, will be in vociferous support of jockey Keith Donoughue, who has an outstanding record in cross country events.

The Irish challenge is completed by Peter Maher’s Cavalry Master and a late purchase, trained by Mrs Arthur Moore, in Gentleman de Reve. Cavalry Master, who joined Peter Maher from Gordon Elliott last January, has been well beaten and pulled up in two outings over the banks course at Punchestown and ridden by Francis O’Keefe. Gentleman de Reve is a different kettle of fish altogether.

The French-bred has been running in the best cross country company under the guidance of Emmanuel Clayeux. Six sporting US owners, led by Dixon Stroud, one of the leading US timber race owners, tasked their Maryland trainer, Joe Davies, to find a horse, to be ridden by son Teddy, who is diverting from University studies this weekend to take the mount, and has already tasted big race success in the 2024 Maryland Hunt Cup.  He pulled up in the Czech race last year a mile from home after his horse blew up. Co-owners Sam Slater, Charles Noell, Victoria Crawford, Mary Charlotte Parr and Dann Colhoun will travel from Baltimore later this week.

Gentleman de Reve is not eligible to run in US jump races, so will lodge with Peter Maher after the race with a view to taking in cross country races at Punchestown and possibly Cheltenham. Expect him to figure in Crystal Cup standings as the series develops.

“These are a group of great sporting owners,” reported Joe Davies. “Dixon set his heart on the Velka some time back, and this is our second attempt. I guess if you’re fishing for Moby Dick, best bring the tartare sauce.” American parlance for fancying their chances, we think.

But if the English-speaking raiders think this will be an easy task, they are sorely mistaken. The entire Czech steeplechase calendar is built around qualifying for this 4 1/2m contest, so no surprise that course and distance winners do well here.

The home team is led by Klarc Kent, a length second to Captain Cody in the Scottish National last April when trained by Willie Mullins. Since purchased by Jiří Charvát, Chair of the Czech Jockey Club and owner of Most Racecourse, an hour north west of Prague, his single race over cross country obstacles to date was disappointing, giving him ground to make up on Dulcar de Sivola and Stormmy, but if that experience has taught him how to deal with the wide variety of fences this discipline presents, his rating should put him in with a strong chance.

Two of last year’s first three line up again for a race in which 4 horses have won on 3 or more consecutive occasions since 1987, the most recent being Orphée des Blins in 2014. Last year’s dead heat winner Sexy Lord, trained by Martina Růžičková, has enjoyed a near perfect prep, winning at Pardubice over 5,800m in June with several of Sunday’s runners behind, and a length second to Chelmsford in an identical race in August. The gelding has the beating of Cuwall, Lost, Dumon du Roclay and Zarate on the form of those races. Zarate is one of two mounts James Best has picked up at Pardubice.

Eight year old High In The Sky hasn’t won for trainer Dalibor Török since October ’23, finishing a never-challenging second in his qualifying race at the start of September. Charyjape also has plenty to prove against Dulcar de Sivola on the form of their last meeting here in early September. Araucarias was an 8l second to the French-bred on that occasion too.

The Velka Pardubicka, now in its 135th year, throws up occasional surprising results in the way Aintree used to before modification of the fences turned it into a fairly orthodox, albeit very valuable, handicap. As a conditions race, all bar the mare, Lost, carry 70kg, lending the advantage to those familiar with both the obstacles and course. Stumptown is however, more highly rated than any of the other runners, and with luck in running, should prevail over Sexy Lord with Zarate fancied to fill the minor placings.

See the runners here.

None other than Mrs Arthur Moore, doyenne of Irish Jump racing, and a syndicate of US owners led by leading light of the US steeplechase scene, Dixon Stroud, have thrown the dice for a supplementary entry in the name of Gentleman de Reve in next weekend’s 135th Velka Pardubicka.

In a sign of the growing international flavour of the race, the 3 time winner in France was initially entered by Emmanuel Clayeux, but is now flying an Irish/US flag, pending transfer to his new owners, and will be ridden by Teddy Davies, who enjoyed a maiden ride in the race 12 months ago on Jeremy Pass. It is anticipated the horse will return to the States for father Joe Davies to train in timber races after the race.

Gentleman de Reve is no slouch either, his most recent run a 6 1/2l third to Jade de la Roc in a €48,000 Class 1 cross country at Moulins, a leg in the French domestic cross country series, the Trophée Nationale de Cross. He’ll certainly appreciate this extended trip.

At the same deadline, Godsalino and Sacamiro were scratched, leaving a maximum of 15 going through to face the starter.  See the full entries here

Speed Emile, winner of this month’s opening Crystal Cup leg at Waregem, graduated to Group 1 company on Sunday when winning the 136th running of the Gran Premio Merano, with a prize fund of €270,000.

The Macaire-Lageneste trained 6 year old had 1 2/4l to spare at the line over Gangster de Coddes, one of a squadron of runners taken to Merano by Josef Vana. The fourth in that Waregem chase, Grand de Thaix, was a further 2 1/4l back in third.

Pacemaker Krokodile Dundee made a searching pace, but the 9 year old Rail Link gelding was always handy. Three Vana – trained horses ranged up to challenge 2 out, Grand de Thaix and Gangster des Coddes ranging up to wrest the lead from the pacemaker. But Baptiste Leclerc had enough in hand on Speed Emile to join the leader at the last. Quickly away, he was able to assert despite Josef Bartos’ efforts on Gangster des Coddes to close the gap.

It seems unlikely we will see Speed Emile on the cross country circuit in the foreseeable future; he is destined for bigger prizes at Auteuil and Pau. However, Vana has taken to campaigning his horses abroad, and France is very much on his agenda. Listed cross country races at Compiegne and Fontainebleau could certainly be on the agenda for Grand de Thaix.

See full result here

Josef Vana campaigns his horses regularly during the summer at Merano, and that course experience paid off in spades as his four runners put him in a commanding lead in the Crystal Cup after the third leg at this most picturesque of alpine venues.

The gallant Gap Pierji, who has featured in so many Crystal Cup races these past 2 seasons, enjoyed a copybook race under Jan Kratochvil, hunting round in rear until half way, then taking it up to make the best of his way home. An uncharacteristically clumsy jump at the last left him flat-footed, and unable to fend off the challenge of stable companion Laldann, going down by 3/4l.

Join the coverage at 1:43:28

Take nothing from the winner however. Twice a winner here over shorter distances since April, he was handy from halfway, letting Gap Pierji make the running after the exit of the youngster of the field, Jeriko de Kerser, who unseated his rider just as the race was beginning in earnest at the Passage de Merano, the two element sunken road. Laldann was returned at 1.68, a warm co-favourite of 4 under Italian totalisator rules where horses are in the same ownership.

As Gap Pierji spread-eagled his field with 6f to travel, stablemate Almost Human and Flavius were never far away, but Laldann responded to Josef Bartos’ urgings, and showed good speed from the second last.

Vana’s effort turns the Crystal Cup leaderboard on its head, giving the travelling Czech a well-deserved 40pts, twice the score of his nearest rival, Patrice Quinton. There are, however, still 9 legs to go, 4 of which are in France, so time enough for the king of French cross country to reassert.

Connections fly the flag at the presentation of Italy’s best known cross country chase

Scuderia Aichner, Vana’s principal patron, have shown considerable verve in pursuing races in France and among the Crystal Cup’s other countries, in pursuit of success. Their French-breds are more than capable of taking on the challenge of British & Irish races, and it is to be hoped they may try their hand at Cheltenham.

See full result here

Ramuntcho is the sole withdrawal from Saturday’s Premio Della Nazione Marco Rocca Memorial Chase at Merano, leg 3 of the Crystal Cup, following final declarations in a race that amounts to a showdown between the two leading protagonists in the unique European cross country chase series. Eight runners will go to post in Italy’s premier cross country chase.

Until 2 years ago, Normandy-based Patrice Quinton had a virtual monopoly on the overall title of the Crystal Cup, until Czech trainer Josef Vana decided to apply himself to the task. Using almost exclusively French-bred chasers, he won the title outright in 2024, and narrowly surrendered it in 2025.

This year’s Crystal Cup, which concludes at Lion d’Angers next May after 12 legs, is currently led by the Macaire/Lageneste stable, but that is sure to change after the weekend, where Vana fields no less than half the field for the € 40,000 race over 6,000m.

There’s a long history of success in Jump racing for Vana, whose father (also Josef) won the Czech leg, the Velka Pardubicka, no less than 8 times as a rider. Last year, he followed a similar pattern of flooding the race with runners, only to find Christian Ghiotti’s Zubiena too good. Zubiena lines up to repeat the feat, but hasn’t won since, although was far from discredited when running over 5,000m at Merano at the end of August, a race won well by Gap Pierji, with Group III winner Younes running on strongly in the closing stages.

Gap Pierji has become Vana’s standing dish in Crystal Cup events, winning last year in Poland, and filling the frame in a Velka Pardubicka qualifier at Pardubice. He’s the choice of Vana’s first jockey Jan Kratochvil, which tells its own story of the relative prospects of the quartet.

Almost Human was second in this race 12 months ago, and has run admirably consistently in shorter distance races at Merano since April. He was beaten a distance behind stable mate Laldann at Merano in August, with both Gap Pierji and Zubiena in front. At 12, his best days may be behind him at this level.

Laldann is twice a winner over shorter distances at Merano this summer, and was held to a 2 1/2l second by Younes in June, conceding a kilo. The weight differential is reversed this time around, with Younes carrying the 1 kg penalty, so they’re well matched.

The last of the quartet, Brunch Royal, has been running in France recently but was pulled up in the Merano contest won by Gap Pierji in August. He has to be the outsider here although a false pace can set up bizarre results.

Quinton’s challenge centres around Flavius and 6 year old Jeriko de Kerser. Third in this race 12 months ago, Flavius came off second best to stable companion Jeriko de Kerser in a 4,600m chase at Waregem earlier in the month, the pair skirting the longer Crystal Cup Grand Prix de Flandres. This looks an easier race, but whilst the younger horse has to concede a further 1/2kg, there’s little to suggest he cannot shoulder it. This remains a step up in class from the standard he’s maintained in his home France.

Which leaves Younes, trained in the Czech Republic by Zdeněk Seménka. Doing his best work at the end of the race won by Gap Pierji here in late August, he went down by 2 1/2l when conceding 3kg. The conditions here enable him to carry just 1kg more than the rest of the field and Jeriko de Kerser, which should put him bang in contention.

A strong pace would suit Younes, who is fancied to win from the youngster in the field, Jeriko de Kerser. Either way, there is one guarantee: vociferous support for the Czech raiders from a party of over 80 British spectators, courtesy of Crystal Cup official travel operator Venatour.

For the full field click here.