Scan the list of runners for this year’s Velka Pardubicka and be surprised to see a smattering of Irish, British and American riders. Four of the 15 runners in fact. This is no anomaly however; there is a shortage of Czech jockeys which is encouraging Czech trainers to look further afield.

Whilst 3 of the foreign contingent have been engaged by their Irish trainers, a fourth is the enterprising James Best, who has built a loyal following of Czech handlers keen to use his horsemanship around Pardubice’s twists and turns. Best is back for a fourth ride in the famous race on Sunday, courtesy of a chance introduction to Stanislav Kovář, who trains from the centre at Doubravice.

“I’ve had a number of rides at Pardubice,” explained the likeable Englishman, now in his 17th season riding under Rules. “It came about quite by chance; I was in a WhatsApp group with Tom Garner (now training chasers in the USA), who used to ride a fair bit in the eastern European courses like Bratislava, Pardubice and at Merano in Italy, where the summer programme is much stronger than back home. He put me up for a ride in 2018 for Stanislav Kovář, where I completed in 10th. It was a unique experience I wanted to try again”.

And so he did. David Pipe ran Rathlin Rose the following year, capitalizing on Best’s previous knowledge of the course. Indeed, winners are generally to be found among Course and Distance winners, and a jockey who knows his way around is worth his weight in gold (or should one say Czech koruna). There was no fairytale, but they paid their travel expenses with a sixth place finish.

Best was back again in 2023 on the 4th placed Lombergini for Stanislav Popelka and again last October on Zataro for Marion Stangel, down the field. This year he rides Zarate for Veronika Lempochnerová, third in a shorter race over much the same course at Pardubice this time last year.

Zarate is no outsider; his preparation for this great old race has included a 2 1/2l third to last year’s winner Sexy Lord here at Pardubice in May, a race in which several of Sunday’s runners finished well behind. He has every chance given a fair run.

“I’m hoping for a good spin,” said Best yesterday. “Stumptown is the quality horse in the field, and I’ll likely follow Keith (Donoghue) or Jan (Faltejsek) around then see how the race plays out.”

The first 30 years of the race saw 18 British riders succeed around Pardubice, but British interest waned from the 1930s until amateur Chris Collins won for Arthur Stephenson in 1973, and Charlie Mann 22 years later. Ironically, there’s plenty of room for experienced steeplechase jockeys to make their talents useful here.

Let’s hope Best can use that experience to good effect on Sunday to fly the flag.

Find the runners here.

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