Crystal Cup legs come thick and fast in the autumn, and this weekend’s Crystal Cup Steeplechase at Wroclaw will be the fifth leg since Waregem on September 1st. The €40,000 listed race runs over 5,500m (3m 3 1/2f) and has whittled down to just 5 runners.
Polish-trained horses are outnumbered by those from the Czech Republic, including two from Crystal Cup leader Josef Vana, and an interesting first ride for James Best on the French-bred Irreverencieux.
The market is likely to be headed by 11 year old Laldann, winner of 16 of his 32 starts, and 3 of his 7 chases. He’s enjoyed a fruitful 2026, with a brace of victories at Merano in May, followed by a runner-up berth and third most recently in the Crystal Cup leg at Merano 3 weeks ago won by Younes. Twelve months earlier when winning the corresponding leg, Laldann has beaten Younes fair and square.
Vana’s other runner here, Beau Saonais, ran a cracking race when a 11 1/4l third to another runner, Molly Power at Wroclaw at the beginning of September. Molly Power showed great fight to beat reggaeton in that race and hasn’t been out of the frame in 6 runs these past 12 months, bar an uncharacteristic pull up at Wissembourg in May. Alžběta Faltejsková’s 9 year old represents the main danger to Laldann, and is the mount of Jan Faltesjek, who enjoyed a double at Pardubice last weekend as well as second to Final Orders in the Velka.
The home team is represented by Trurl and Nitro. Trurl is trained and will be ridden by Paweł Pałczyński. He’s been well placed to win 3 of his 4 starts this year, the most recent over 5,000m at Bratislava. That form is by and large untested.
Nitro has only been seen once this year, finishing second to Westminster Grey at Wroclaw in early September, a race in which Trurl didn’t finish. He’s the mount of Jan Odložil for trainer Elwira Porębna.
The springer in this market may be the 8 year old French-bred Irreverencieux. Regular rider Josef Bartoš took a crunching fall at Pardubice last weekend, so James Best, who caught the eye in another clear round in the Velka, is an interesting jockey booking for Veronika Lempochnerová. Irreverencieux is unbeaten this year in two runs, a neck win over Averis in May and a 6l defeat of the same rival in September, both at Pardubice, and less exposed than either of Vana’s runners, or indeed Molly Power.
Whichever the result, Vana will assert his lead on the Crystal Cup by picking up a minimum 4pts for travelling outside the Czech Republic, likely more given the small field. However, the pendulum swings back toward western Europe during the winter with legs at Compiegne, Cheltenham (2) and Pau which should allow Patrice Quinton and Gavin Cromwell to erode his lead or even surpass it.
It’s all to play for.
For the full card on Sunday, click here