Among the current entries is another No Time To Lose champion who won in 2017. His preparation is under the guidance of the legend of this sport, Josef Váni st. On the other hand, the 2019 champion Theophilos ended his career due to an injury, so he will not appear at Velká Pardubická.
Program Velké Pardubice 2022
The entire racing weekend is designated as Velká Pardubická, which includes a number of other races. On Sunday, October 9, the main program begins at 11 a.m. with a ceremonial opening, followed by seven races, of which the last and most watched one called “Velká Pardubická with Slavia pojišťovna” starts around 4 p.m. The races take place at the Racecourse in Pardubice.
| Velké Pardubice 2022 schedule – Sunday, October 9 | |
|---|---|
| 11:00 | Opening ceremony |
| 11:30 | VCES as company prize – Lata Brandisová prize |
| 12:10 | Award of the company Chládek a Tintěra, Pardubice as – ČASCH Award |
| 12:50 | Cup BICZ holding 2022 |
| 13:30 | Award of the Governor of the Pardubice Region – Vltava Award |
| 14:15 | Czech Republic Forests Award – Elbe Award |
| 15:00 | Popler Memorial of the Proreal Group |
| 16:00 | 132. Velká Pardubická with Slavia pojišťovna |
| 16:30 | Festive decoration |
Start list and qualifications
To participate in the main October race, it is necessary to qualify first. Only the winner of the previous year is guaranteed to participate. The possibilities of qualification are thanks to the four Czech races held between May 21 and September 3. It is also possible to meet the conditions by racing in Ireland, England, France or Italy with a minimum track length of 4800 m.
This year, a total of 22 horses met the qualification criteria, 14 of which subsequently applied for the Velka Pardubická. The other 3 places belong to foreign guests.
| Starting list | Age | Trainer | Jockey | Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Time To Lose | 13 let | Josef Vaňa st. | Ondrej Velek | 1 |
| Argan | 8 let | Marek Simák | Martin Liška | 2 |
| Stretton | 12 let | Stanislav Popelka | Thomas Garner (Brit.) | 3 |
| Imphal | 9 let | Stanislav Popelka | Jaroslav Myška | 4 |
| Kaiserwalzer | 9 let | Jaroslav Brečka | Patrick Mullins | 5 |
| Brunch Royal | 9 let | Josef Váňa Jr. | Josef Bartos | 6 |
| Mr Spex | 8 let | Luboš Urbanek | Lukáš Matusky | 7 |
| Chicname De Cotte | 10 let | Pavel Vítek | Ludovic Solignac | 8 |
| Dusigrosz | 9 let | Josef Vaňa st. | Marek Stromský | 9 |
| Dulcar of Sivola | 9 let | Vendula Jirčáková | Josef Borč | 10 |
| Sacamiro | 9 let | Eva Petříková | Jakub Kocman | 11 |
| Pawnshop | 11 let | Stanislav Popelka | Jan Postponed | 12 |
| Star | 11 let | Jaroslav Brečka | Jaroslav Brečka | 13 |
| Talent | 11 let | Hana Kabelkova | Pavel Složil | 14 |
| Player | 10 | Lenka Kvapilová | Marcel Novak | 15 |
Obstacles and route
The race route is 6,900 meters long and the horses have to overcome a total of 30 obstacles. Despite the 2021 modification, obstacle #4, the infamous Big Taxis Ditch, still commands respect and is considered one of the most dangerous jumps in the world.
Tickets
Velká Pardubická is usually a great viewing experience. This year too, an online portal is available for horse racing fans, through which tickets to the event can be purchased. Tickets can also be bought on the spot.
The price of tickets depends on the choice of sector. The basic price for a standing ticket is 350 CZK, or 400 CZK when purchased on the spot. Spectators pay extra for stands and seating. The price starts at 800 CZK. With full catering, you can enjoy “Pardubická” for 4,200 CZK.
Where to watch Great Pardubice
The live broadcast of the top racing event can be watched from 11 a.m. on the Czech TV program ČT Sport. With the help of online streams, the race can also be seen on the websites of some betting offices, which make the transmission conditional on a registration fee or a minimum bet amount.
Prize money
The financial reward is prepared for the seven best horses, or their stables, who will divide a total of CZK 5,000,000 between them. The winner of Velká Pardubická leaves with 2 million crowns.
| Rewards at Velké Pardubice in 2022 | |
|---|---|
| 1st place | 2,000,000 CZK |
| 2nd place | 1,100,000 CZK |
| 3rd place | CZK 700,000 |
| 4th place | CZK 500,000 |
| 5th place | 350,000 CZK |
| 6th place | 200,000 CZK |
| 7th place | 150,000 CZK |
History and winners
The beginnings of the races themselves are dated to the organization of hunts, when the upper nobility on horses with a pack of dogs chased the game while overcoming various obstacles. The very first races were held on Czech territory in 1836, thanks to Oktavián Josef Count Kinsky. Later they moved to Pardubice, where the first racing track was built in 1856.
The very first year of the Great Pardubice Steeplechase took place on November 5, 1874. At that time, 14 horses were at the start. The winner was the thoroughbred Fantome with the English jockey George Sayers. An interesting fact is that this is the oldest sporting event held in the Czech Republic. When the football league of Czechoslovakia was founded, Velká Pardubická was celebrating its 50th year.
The record holder for the number of victories among jockeys was the legendary Josef Váňa Sr., who won the Velka Pardubická eight times. The last time was in 2011, when the then fifty-nine-year-old Váňa won for the third time on a horse named Tiumen.
Among the horses, the most successful is Železník, who has won the Velka Pardubická four times as the only horse in history. It happened three times in a row in the years 1987 – 1989 and then in 1991. Each time it was jockey Josef Váňa senior.
A Scarecrow named Taxis and other attractions
If we do not count the years when the race was not held for political or other reasons, the only year 1909 is without a winner. In the 34th edition, no horse managed to reach the finish line.
The course record is held by the gelding Ribelina from 2015 in a time of 8:56.01 min. Among the mares, it is the white mare Sixteen in a time of 8:58.88 min.
The only woman who was able to win at Velká Pardubice is called Lata Brandisová. She managed to beat the rest of the starting field in 1937 in the saddle of the mare Norma.
The infamous obstacle called Velký Taxisův kopok claims the lives of at least 25 horses, some sources put the number six deaths higher. Training on this obstacle is never allowed. It is said that the horse’s flight over Taxis is up to 10 meters.
