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.