It does seem as though every effort is being made by the Pardubice racecourse executive to encourage foreign stables, which do certainly appear keen to take up the Czech challenge this year!
Legendary Irish Banks races trainer Enda Bolger could send over his first runners at the course since Risk of Thunder (owned by Sean Connery) was second in 1999. Among his multiple entries are JP McManus' Heads Onthe Ground (Cheltenham Festival Cross Country winner in 2007). The others from the Bolger yard are Freneys Well, Moscow Maui, Ben Adam
and General Striker.
Bolger told Course and Distance: *I intend to have a good shot at the race in Pardubice this year. Of my five entries Moscow Maui is the only one still in training at the moment - he'll be kept on the go until October. The others are on their summer break, but they will all be back in five to six weeks' time. Heads Onthe Ground has had a wind operation, while Freneys Well has been knocking on the door in his last couple of runs and I feel the course will suit him.
*The plan will be to give all the horses a prep race over hurdles in September. They can all clearly jump, but it will help to sharpen them up and put them on their toes. We'll then decide things from there – but the plan will be to really throw the kitchen sink at the race this
year.*
Charlie Mann has two entries - Nadover (sixth in this year's Grand National) and Flight Command - which missed out last year after suffering a set-back in the build-up.
Other trainers with eye-catching entries include Tony Martin's Wonderkid, a Cheltenham winner in 2007, and Grand National-winning trainer Gordon Elliott (Lydon House). Martin told Course and Distance: *Wonderkid is enjoying a little break at the moment, but in a week or two we'll start to work on getting him fit. We*ll give him a prep race six weeks or a month before the
race at Pardubice and we will then take things from there. The plan is to train him for the race and have a crack at it. It wouldn't be the end of the world if things don't work out as we've always got Cheltenham and Punchestown, but having talked things through with the owner we do feel it would be a suitable race.*
Elliott, who originally planned to run Silver Birch at the Velka Pardubicka before his tremendous win at Aintree in 2007, explained to Course and Distance: "Lydon House has just had a little break after his last run at Perth , but when he returns to training we'll be aiming him
for the Velka - that is very much the plan. *I'd imagine he'll have a couple of runs before the race in October, one over hurdles and perhaps we'll try and find a long distance chase for him.*
Meanwhile, Velka regular Ferdy Murphy will be looking to improve on last year's fourth place with the 12-year-old Ivoire De Beaulieu. Paul Murphy has entered a couple of runners - with Contraband (Arkle winner at Cheltenham in 2005) an interesting contender, but whose best
days appear behind him. The Wilson family also have further possible entries stabled with trainer Michael Scudamore (Azulejo and Premiership).

A good evaluation of the entries is given by Chris Simpson on his Velka
Pardibicka web site http://www.freewebs.com/becher123/theroadtothevelka.htm