A week to the day following the 100th Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, it’s the 133rd running of the Velka Pardubicka with Slavia Insurance in the Czech Republic.
Again run over 6,900m with 18 runners facing 30 jumps, it’s last year Mr Spex who will be ridden by Irish amateur Patrick Mullins for trainer Lubos Urbanek, with jockey Lukaas Matusky injured.
Irish trainer Peter Maher has drawn Saddle Cloths 1 and 2, with Irish jockey Sean Francis O’Keeffe on the 6yo gelding Jet Fighter and the 12yo Alpha Mall to be ridden by Czech jockey Petr Tuma.
Slovak-trained horses race regularly at Pardubice, and this year trainer Jaroslav Brecka has engaged Jaroslav Mycka to ride the 10yo Kaiserwalzer, with Royal Gino to be ridden by Jan Odložil.
”I’m pleased that we have the foreign horses in the field,” said Jaroslav Muller, Director of Dostihový Spolek, with Italian owned Santa Klara being the only mare in the race with Jan Kratochvíl.
“With the Czech participants very strong as expected, we are working on the racetrack which has been very dry, but we will be dealing with it and the he racecourse will be perfectly prepared,”
The 2021 winner Talent will be ridden by Pavel Slozil, while last year’s Velka third Sacamiro is race favourite with Jan Faltejsek, but is hard pressed by Argano for trainer-jockey Martin Liška.
In fact, the theme of the Velka Pardubicka has been built on horse and hounds, with Duke Maxmilian Ugarte, Prince Emil Fürstenberg and Duke Octavian Kinsky being the race founders.
Together they design a racecourse for a ‘unique and demanding race,’ with the first steeplechase of 18 jumps was held on 14 October 1842 of more than two miles, and open to four horses.
The following day another steeplechase over three miles, 4,800 m, was conducted with 32 jumps, and since then the races have been held annually on the present day Pardubice racecourse.
In fact, with the surrounding countryside of Pardubicka was highly suitable to hunting with horse and hounds and the popularity of the Velka Pardubicka greatly expanded in the late 19th century.
With Duke Jindrich Larisch-Monnich being Hunt Master for 35 years up until WW1, his position demanded more organisation and business skills, while the professionals trained the horses.
The arrival of Englishmen Charles Peck and Sam Stevens saw horses hunting over longer distances, which developed their endurance and stamina as the hunts were staged more frequency.
Horseracing in Pardubice was first conducted in July 1842 when the Czech Society of Horseracing organised steeplechase and flat racing not only in Prague, but also in Pardubice.
In 1856 the Czech Society of Horseracing asked the City of Pardubice to build a racecourse at Cvrčkov, outside Pardubicka, and on 7, 8 October that year they staged the first race meeting
So, with a large crowd on course for the first Velka Pardubicka on Thursday 5 November 1874 with 14 runners, victory went to Fantome ridden by Englishman George Herbert for Baron von Cramm.
From the very first running the now famous Taxi jump, was considered the most difficult jump in the world, and received varied reactions but like today the positives outweighed the negatives.
The 1920-1930’s saw duels between Czechoslovak and German horses, with Captain Rudolf Popler winning in 1926 and 1930, and competing in the Olympic Games and Aintree Grand National.
However, it was Lata Brandisova winning in 1937 that she became the ‘Darling of the Czech Nation’ for on her mare Norma she had defeated all the favoured German runners all amongst the tense atmosphere before World War II, much to the cheers of the 40,000 racegoers.
