Pardubice: Big Race entries

Entries for Velka Pardubicka 2006
When entries for the 116th Ceska pojistovna Velka Pardubicka closed at midday on May 18th, forty seven horses were on the list. Twelve of them are horses trained abroad – maybe 13, as Klip disappeared from the Czech radar screen in 1999 and may have been performing elsewhere.

The leading Czech contenders clearly include 2003 and 2004 winner Registana, and 2002 and 2005 winner Maskul, as well as Decent Fellow, who has been placed in each of the last 4 runnings of the race. Retriever, second in 2004, is there. Not to forget that Laneret finished 5th in 2004 and 3rd in 2005.

The following have won VP qualifying races in past seasons: Registana (June 2005, June 2004, June 2003, June 2002), Hastaven (September 2005, August 2004), Retriever (May 2005, May 2004), Red Dancer (August 2005), Decent Fellow (August 2003) and Kyrton (September 2002).

Several of the seven-year-olds that are now eligible for the VP are well worth mentioning. Masini (7-y-o) won the Gran Premio at Merano in 2004, but seems to dislike Pardubice. Pessoa (7-y-o) has run only in Italy in 2005 and 2006, and haqs yet to make his Czech debut, but must be a contender if he takes to cross-country chasing. Bagdad (7-y-o) has for years been groomed by his owner as the successor to his Peruan. Bagdad is a Pardubice course specialist, and has won here six times, including two Category I races. Juventus (7-y-o) has already won at Treviso this year and has shown a lot of promise in the last two seasons. Relace (7-y-o) came back from a two-year break to win a small race at Pardubice on May 8th). Polarnik (7-y-o) ran without distinction in a hurdles race at Cheltenham last year. Harry the Beaver (7-y-o) has shown some form on the flat and over hurdles, but has yet to tackle cross-country chasing.

Other horses that will have their supporters are Assur, Cieszymir and Glogloglo. One of them just mind develop into a contender in the course of the season.

As usual, several horses are entered who should really be concentrating on shorter races over easier fences. Iraklion and Juniusz both wasted last year preparing for the VP, and they are entered again. And I was disappointed to find the name of Ner, one of our best and fastest hurdlers, on the list. He won the First of May Steeplechase at Lysa this year, and should continue to run in races suited to his considerable abilities.

The foreign entries appear to be mainly or entirely Irish and French. None of the Irish entries ran in the LaTouche Cup at Punchestown this year, but in 2005 Shady Lad finished 2nd, Three Mill 5th and Star Performance 7th. BuailtesAndFadas won the Latouche in 2003. Montayral does not appear to have experience of long-distance cross-country chasing. I have no information about the other entries, which I deduce are probably French-trained: Green Turf, Dauphin des Carres, Mag Paradise, Iota Bleu, Henri de Magne, Galapagos and Fou Joyeux.

The Paddock Revue web site will be happy to publish any information that you can supply (in English or French) on the non-Czech entries. Please write to healey@vc.cvut.cz.

The full list of runners can be found on the Jockey Club web site