Sedm a dost – Seven, and that is enough

By Caitrion Fenton

On the second Sunday in October a little piece of history is made. Since 1874 the town of Pardubice in the Czech Republic has been home to one of Europe’s most unique races. This historic steeplechase is called the Velka Pardubicka.

At four miles two furlongs in length this race is the second longest in Europe behind the Aintree Grand National and with 31 varying obstacles it is a thrilling race to watch. This year saw Czech jockey and national sporting icon Josef Vana claim his seventh win as a jockey and his eight as a trainer. Quite remarkable for a man who just last week turned 58! In fact Vana is so revered in the Czech racing industry that a statue to him was unveiled at the racecourse on the day of this year‘s Velka Pardubicka. He is depicted pointing his whip at the Taxis – the most famous fence in the race.

Some may be surprised to learn that Vana was 32 by the time he first rode in the Velka on a horse called Paramon when he came second. His first win in the Velka Pardubicka was in 1987 on the legendary Czech racehorse Zeleznik.

The jockey became the first person to finish the race in less than ten minutes with a time of 9 minutes, 56 seconds. In fact the slowest finishing time recorded in the race was in 1920. A horse named Jonathon passed the post after 20 minutes and 15 seconds and was disqualified because the judges had left their boxes by the time he came in!

Another interesting fact about this historic race is that it was also won by a woman! In 1937 Countess Latya Brandislava became the first woman to ride the winner of the Velka and the first woman to ride the winner of any steeplechase in the Czech Republic (formerly Bohemia).

The chase incorporates obstacles such as ditches, banks, rails, stone walls, hedges, water and combination obstacles. The race also goes through ploughed fields at a stage making it even more testing for the horses and jockeys. The most notorious obstacle in the race is the Taxis. The Taxis is a huge fence incorporating a large Hedge with a substantial drop at the far side. It is said that the fence measures 22 ft from the front of the hedge to the back of the drain.

Not only is the sheer size of the Taxis intimidating to both horses and jockeys it also has an unusual adornment. Where some fences in Ireland are decorated with sponsorship signs the Taxis has headstones commemorating deceased jockeys.

The Irish have been well represented over the years and one man who is no stranger to the fabled race is jockey Ken Whelan. The Waterford man has won some of the best chases in the world such as the La Touche Cup in Punchestown, the BGC Cross Country Handicap Chase, the Pierse Leopardstown Handicap Chase, the Punchestown Cup Chase, the Craddockstown Novice Chase and the Sporting Index Chase Cross Country Chase.

Whelan first took part in the historic race in 1996 and admits that he did not know much about the race beforehand. However he now loves to go back there saying the people are great and very good to him.

Whelan was due to partner the previously Irish and now Czech-trained Ille en Reve in this year’s race, unfortunately he sustained a broken collar bone in an earlier race on the card and missed out on the ride. However he did get a good view of the race as he watched it about 100 yards from the post with Richard Dunwoody by his side.

Speaking about his experiences with the race Whelan has found that in the years since he first attended the race the facilities have greatly improved.This is due to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved as the main goal is to raise the profile of racing in the Czech Republic. However there are still stark differences compared to Irish racing, one being that the riding fee is around €30 in the Czech Republic whereas jockeys here earn approx €150 a race.

Undeterred by this year’s injury, Whelan is looking forward to next year’s renewal; however he does not see himself riding in it at the age of 58 like Vana! In 2009 Vana won third place in the Czech Sports Personality of the year competition and no doubt many racing enthusiasts think he might scoop first prize this year – Whelan for one thinks he is a worthy contender!

By Caitriona Fenton