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Rare among international races nowadays, the final declarations for the 136th Velka Pardubicka, sponsored by Slavia Insurance, are concluded, including jockey bookings, for the race that is to Czechs what the Melbourne Cup is to Australia. The date of Sunday October 11th is a marquee day in the Czech racing calendar.

Just one withdrawal has taken place since entries were made, Zarate not making the cut, leaving 10 runners, comprising 8 Czech-trained, one Irish and a rare French challenger.

Cheltenham Festival winner Final Orders will be sent off a warm favourite for the race, but a partisan home crowd would likely prefer 2024 dead-heat victor Godfrey to prevent a second consecutive Irish victory. Godfrey is well fancied, with a focused preparation that culminated successfully with success in one of the qualifying races here at Pardubice in early September. Jan Faltejsek takes the ride for Dalibor Török in preference to 2023 winner Sacamiro, still in good form at 13, in pursuit of his ninth Velka.

Sacamiro’s trainer, Eva Petříková told a press conference at the famous Karlova Koruna castle, “He is easy to ride, he is a horse for a sensitive rider.” Hence her booking of Lenka Neprašová, the only woman rider in the field. She’s also a rare commodity in a country short of jockeys – a highly successful woman rider, with a career 61 winner from just under 350 rides. Sacamiro is nevertheless a fancy largely for the romantics in the crowd; without a win for 3 years, this would be a big turnaround at the highest level to win here.

Godfrey’s half-brother High In The Sky will also represent Dalibor Török. Rider Ondřej Velek, yet to win Czechia’s marquee steeplechase, remarked, “I’m sorry about the injury to Fort Medoc because he has really great potential. But High In the Sky also has a great chance and I’m grateful for the ride.” High In The Sky is held on September form against Angkor Wat and Godfrey.

Jockey Adam Čmiel will fancy his chances on 2025 third Čáryjape, but he too will need to improve on an August event where he was well behind Aaraucarias and Greek Dessert. The latter is one of 2 rides during the afternoon for James Best, both for Czech Jockey Club chairman Jiří Charvát.

Best has an enviable record in the Velka, with a 4th, 5th and 6th place among his 5 rides to date. He came by the ride on Greek Dessert through bloodstock agent Jacob Pritchard-Webb, in last year’s supporting card, when Keith Donoghue became unavailable. Of Greek Dessert, Best remarked, “He gave me a good spin last year, and jumps well, although we’ve all still got to cross the Taxis! With just 10 runners, there should be plenty of space. He only gives what you ask of him, but I’m looking forward to the ride. I love the race.”

The springer in the pack may be the French challenger, Hard Roc de Kerser, all the way from the Normandy base of Patrice Quinton. Broadly adjudged the master of the cross country scene at home, Quinton will have good reasons to send the 9 year old on the 1,500km  trip to Pardubice. His French form has not been outstanding – winnerless in 2026 – but Quinton is not to be underestimated, and he brings Jean Stephane Lebrun, sporting 10 winners from his 101 rides this year to date.

For a complete list of runners click here.

Gavin Cromwell’s latest assault on the Velka Pardubicka with Final Orders is far from a fait accompli, despite his chase rating of 147. A select field of entries for this year’s 136th Velka Pardubicka includes previous winner Godfrey and a French challenger from Patrice Quinton, undisputed king of this particular genre across the Channel. With no entries, Josef Vana, currently topping the Crystal Cup leaderboard, will not be asserting his superiority on home turf.

11 entries make the prospect of the smallest field in recent years a likelihood rather than a possibility. And whilst there is still time for trainers to make supplementary entries, given the obstacles to travel, not least the high cost of fuel nowadays, this seems improbable.

Among the home-trained cadre of entries, a single race in early September holds the clue. No less than 5 of the 11 took part in the fourth qualifying race for the Velka, and they filled the first five places, led by 10 year old Godfrey, who memorably dead-heated in the big race with Sexy Lord in October 2024.

Godfrey has excellent credentials to repeat the dose, this the most recent winner in a four chase tally dating back to 2022. The September race has been his only outing in 2026, clearly focused on the main event by his trainer Dalibor Török.

Polish-bred nine year old Zarate was a 9l second in that race, but no match for the winner. On a line through him in May, he also has the beating again of High In The Sky, also from the Török stable.

The third horse in that race, Angkor Wat, trained by Stanislav Popelka, is a rare British-bred running in the Czech Republic, where French-breds dominate. He might overturn form with Zarate, but the margin with Godfrey was considerable. hs best effort this year is a 1/2l second to Hibernian over a shorter 4,500m in May at Pardubice.

The fifth horse in that race is Dumon Roclay, winner of two chases in October 24 and the following Spring. That seems a long time ago even in a country with limited jumps fixtures and his form recently suggests he’s best watched.

The most likely challenge from the home team should come from Čáryjape, third to Stumptown last year. he, Araucarias and Greek Dessert all met in the third qualifier at Pardubice in August. Araucarias had the best of that exchange behind Fort Medoc.

Which leaves three.

We can discount the old man of the party, Sacamiro, who, despite the age of 13, continues to run good races, the latest a 2 1/4l second to Ironika over 5,200m here in June. He hasn’t won for three years, which has me asking if that trend is likely to be reversed in a race of this calibre.

Nine year old Hard Roc de Kerser is a product of the Patrice Quinton school of cross country champions. Quinton is acknowledged as the master of this particular genre of the sport, but generally campaigns his horses within France, although he’s run horses at Merano and Waregem previously in the Crystal Cup.

Hard Roc de Kerser is winner of 6 of his 30 races, and has been hitting the bar in 2026 without going th extra yard to win. Placed efforts at Saumur and most recently at Le Touquet in lower rated races leave him something of a learning curve at Pardubice, but his game owners, Haras d’Erable and Ecurie des Dunes are not afraid to travel, and any French challenger is to be respected.

Which leaves the Irish challenger, Final Orders, winner of 7 of his 27 chases, including cross country events at Cheltenham in December ’25 and last March. He has prepped for this with a sharpener in a 2m4f handicap hurdle at Bellewstown, where he looked in need of the race. Cromwell knows what is required at Pardubice, and Final Orders will likely be sent off a hot favourite, and justifiably so.

See the full list of entries here

What appeared a meagre field on paper produced a splendid race to savour at Merano for the third leg of the Crystal Cup, and has asserted a change in the leaderboard in favour of Eastern Europe, just a fortnight ahead of the Czech Republic’s most famous steeplechase.

This is a weekend of great importance to the Vana – Aichner axis of supremacy in Czech racing. Last year they came away with multiple winners across the weekend, and again are represented in the big events on Sunday for which the Gran Premio Dell Nazione – Memorial Marco Rocca is merely an aperitif.

Younes has the edge in the Crystal Cup cross country at Merano

But what an aperitif.

Josef Bartos sent Almost Human off from the off, with an exhuberant leap of the first that told of a race where jumping prowess would hold sway. The two Aichner runners were in close order together with Younes, the youngster in the race – Vesuvio – in rear. But for the first two-thirds of this 6,000m race, no more than 5l separated first from last.

Laldann’s jumping frequently took him up to challenge, but Alessio Pollioni had clearly been told to hold him up. 1,200m from home, Vesuvio made his move under Ondrej Velek, taking closer order, whilst Younes bided his time, catching breathers but now in rear.

Retirning the reverse route over the Passage of Liverpool, which bears no resemblance to any fence at Aintree, sadly, Vesuvio took up the running, headed for home. A clumsy jump 3 out hindered his chance, but they were queuing up behind, except Almost Human, who dropped away.

Grand de Thaix had the advantage at the last, Younes upsides, and with the rail to help him, Jan Faltejsek made it count, the winning margin 1 1/4l. laldann ran on one-paced to finish a 9l third, a half length ahead of Vesuvio. Don’t rule him out of further longer distance races; he showed good speed and will learn from the experience.

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The domination of Czech runners in Italy inevitably shapes the early stages of the Crystal Cup, and Vana’s four runners leapfrog him into pole position in the leaderboard with 28pts to Patrice Quinton’s 19. Vana has a chance to improve on that in next month’s Velka Pardubicka, before the pendulum swings back toward France for Compiegne.

His leading patron the Aichner family, bereft of their leading light following the death of Josef Aichner in July, regains the top of the Owners’ leaderboard, requiring  David Cottin, Patrice Quinton or even Gavin Cromwell to travel to Cheltenham to reel in the lead. Cottin and his sporting octogenarian owner Caroline Tisdall certainly have ambitions in that regard.

For the full result click here.

Merano’s efforts to grow runners for their prestige cross country race, the 82nd running of the Premio Delle Nazioni – Memorial Marco Rocca, have unhappily not been rewarded, with just 5 runners declared for this €45,000 third leg of the Crystal Cup, ensuring that Josef Vana will leapfrog Patrice Quinton to the head of the Crystal Cup leaderboard.

Of the five, only Younes, trained by Zdenek Semenka, does not come from the Vana stable.

Nevertheless, favourite and last year’s winner, Laldann, is not necessarily a shoo-in. The 11 year old had enjoyed a productive summer at Merano, racking up victories over Almost Human in May over a shorter distance, and over Younes, both in May before failing by 5l to White Wood in August, the winner having something in hand. However, he is not the choice of stable rider Josef Bartos, which may be revealing in itself.

Bartos is jocked up against Almost Human, 4l second to Younes in his most recent run over a shorter distance here in early August. The Grand Steeplechase di Roma in mid-May gives a line on all three of these runners, Almost Human finishing 8 1/4l fourth to Laldann, Younes in second. The only reason to suspect that form is the extra 1,000m of this race, but the typical twists and turns of a cross country race do not make this representative of a true stayers’ race necessarily.

The third Vana runner, Grand du Thaix, has plenty to find against Laldann and Younes. He finished a distant fifth to Speed Emile here back in May, but Speed Emile is no slouch at Merano, unbeaten here since in 4 runs since 2024.

The unknown in the pack is five year old Vesuvio, who hasn’t won since Pisa in February ’25, but has rarely finished out of the frame since. It should be assumed he is still on the upgrade, although he’s never been tried over this extended 6,000m. Ondřej Velek takes the ride.

With a small field, a false pace is likely in the absence of a pacemaker, so this may turn into a waiting race. With that in mind, Younes is fancied to put a stop to Laldann’s run of success, and deny the Vana stable a clean sweep.

For a full list of runners, click here.

Leading European horse feeds manufacturer, Baileys, will support the Crystal Cup for the 2026-27 series, collaborating to encourage overseas runners in the 12 race series.

Built around title to the Leading trainer award, which offers a  €15,000 bonus to the trainer accumulating most points from runners in the selected races, Baileys will underwrite travel costs for owners of British, Irish, Czech, Polish and Italian horses running outside their own jurisdiction (French trainers already receive travel reimbursements from France Galop).

Irish and Czech trainers have been notably successful in the pan-European Series this past 12 months, with Roi Mage winning at Craon, Stumptown at Pardubice, and Gap Pierji in Merano and Wroclaw.

Hugues Crosnier, President of the Crystal Cup Association, remarked, “We’re delighted to welcome Baileys Horse Feeds as a partner of the Crystal Cup. We share similar attributes in the pursuit of excellence, and I hope together we can accelerate overseas participation in this unique series.”

Mark Buchan, Exports Manager for Baileys Horse Feeds, added, “The Crystal Cup offers an imaginative way for our European distributors to engage their current and prospective racing clients. We’re delighted to be playing our part toward the Entente Cordiale among nations that practise jump racing across Europe, and look forward to making new friends and customers across the piece.”