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Robin Healey´s August Newsletter
August 2009 newsletter
In July we had plenty of sunny but not too hot summer weather, but also an extraordinary number of storms. Plenty of places have suffered from severe local flooding or major hailstorms, often more than once in the same village, and we have almost got used to our television screens showing blocked roads and railway lines, devastated forests and power lines being repaired. As usual, Prague has been little impacted, as the city is well protected from all but very major floods, and we have had just one big thunderstorm here recently.
Mid July diary
To the best of my knowledge, nothing very dramatic has been taking place in Czech racing in the last couple of weeks. The weather has continued rainy, with big storms and some serious local flooding. The forecast, but not the reality, has been and continues to be that there will be several days of warm sunny weather.
Robin Healey´s July Newsletter
The Czech racing season falls rather neatly into three parts, or four, if you include the off-season. As it happens, the beginnings and ends of these parts fall at the beginnings and ends of certain months. As we move from June to July, Spring ends and Summer begins. In Spring, from April until June, most of the flat racing takes place at Velka Chuchle, where the capacious grandstand offers shelter from the elements. Steeplechasing Spring lasts just two months, from the Mayday meeting at Lysa-nad-Labem until the end of June. Pardubice holds five meetings in May and June, and on a wet or chilly day there is enough shelter for a medium-size crowd.
Royal Mougins wins Gold Cup again
The last meeting before the midsummer break at Pardubice racecourse was held on good to soft ground on a cloudy but mild afternoon. These were ideal conditions for steeplechasing at the end of June.
Age of Jape takes the Czech Derby
Czech Derby day was a cool overcast but dry midsummer Sunday afternoon, and the going was on the soft side of good. Three of the four main races were won by the favourites, and all produced convincing winners. In the Derby, Polish-bred Age of Jape, by Jape (USA) out of Age of Gold (USA) (Belmez (USA)), owned by Baca Palkovice, trained by Frantisek Holcak, ridden by Jean-Pierre Lopez, won comfortably by two and a quarter lengths from Arcibaldo, with Slovak-trained Ramblin Scout five lengths away in third place. Age of Jape has now won his last 7 races, including the Czech Two Thousand Guineas. He is expected to go for the Czech St Leger at the end of August. The owner of Age of Jape, Radim Baca, is the mayor of the village of Palkovice, population 3052, which lies in the foothills of the Beskydy mountains, near the Moravian/Slovak border.
World crosscountry cup becomes a reality?
World Crosscountry Cup Following a fruitful meeting in Paris, there will be advanced discussions in Pardubice in September about holding a World Crosscountry Cup. It may start as early as 2010. The series will comprise races that already exist, and it is not anticipated that any horse will compete in more than 3 or 4 of the races.
Czech Derby to be run this sunday
Derby day at Prague Velka Chuchle racecourse is always an event to look forward to. The course is always specially prepared. At the end of June there is plenty of greenery, and every possibility of a sunny afternoon. Spring this year has provided plenty of warmth and a good amount of rain.
Pardubice: Outsider wins a qualifier
The June qualifying race for the 119th Ceska Pojistovna Velka Pardubicka produced a close finish and a shock result. The outsider Profil, owned by Mikrop *ebín-Sunnyfarm, trained by Jiri Janda, and ridden by Michal Köhl, won in a blanket finish from Del Sole, Sixteen, Mr Land and Welldancer, with just over two lengths between first and fifth. Other finishers, which also qualify for the big race, were, in descending order, Juventus, Jung, Derby Sharp, Korinka, Baccarat, Claudio, Rubin and Lirain. Hirsch was pulled up, Marath and Red Dancer fell, and German Malt and Numero Due unseated their riders.
26 left in the Czech Derby
At the forfeit stage on June 11th, 26 horses were left in the Czech Derby. Only 16 places are available in the starting gates, so 10 will not get into the race. The declaration to run is on Tuesday at 10 o'clock on June 15th. The list of horses still in the race, together with their official ratings, is given here
Strange Outcome to Final Derby Trial
The last of the year's Derby trials was run at Velka Chuchle last Sunday. It was a slowly run race, over 2400 metres, and in the final sprint Czech Two Thousand Guineas winner Age of Jape came out best, beating Dekolt into second place. It was by all accounts (I was not there) a poor trial, but there was some shock at the official handicapper's decision to give an adequate rating for a place in the Derby field only to Age of Jape. Dekolt's trainer Tomas Hurt sounded off to the Czech language Paddock Revue web site. However unsatisfactory the two main Derby Trials at Velka Chuchle were, both being slowly run on soft ground, it seems strange that a sufficient rating for the Derby has this year - some would say yet again - only been given on the strength form over 1600 metres and less.