We had some wintry weather in December 2009. A few years ago, we would have expected nothing else, but nowadays who can tell. Northern Europe, of course, could make good use of quite a lot of warming, on a local scale. Unfortunately, it seems to come only with some unwanted global impacts.

When the month comes to an end, we will probably be told that we have had the warmest November ever recorded in the Czech Republic. This always used to be a wretched, dark, chilly month, in which hardy colleagues would wax their skis and claim to enjoy the crisp coldness. By contrast, this year has given us a series of short mild, sunny days and long frost-free nights. Our racing season was extended until November 8^th, but could have continued for at least three more weeks in the kind of weather conditions that are ideal for horses and acceptable for humans.

Two Czech-trained horses are due to run in the Glenfardas Crosscountry Steeplechase at Cheltenham on Friday. Marath is to be ridden by Josef Bartos, and Lirain by Jaromir Hrudka. It is depressing to think that only these two moderate horses will represent Czech training in Britain in 2009. According to Mirek Petran, Mr Land and Hirsch had also been expected to run. Lirain and Marath will come up against Lucky Nellerie and Mr Big, which were both also rans in the 2009 Velka Pardubicka.

This year, the November newsletter, written at the end of October, comes before the end of our season. Velka Chuchle has two more meetings, on November 1st and November 8th, and one of these is the President of the Republic’s Prize meeting. This is now a major event, as President Vaclav Klaus’s presence and endorsement will lead to a large crowd and, not least, will lure advertisers, sponsors and corporate hospitality.