|
Valldemoso wins the last VP qualification race |
|
On Saturday September 11th, at Pardubice, the last of the four qualification races for the Velka Pardubicka was won by Valldemoso from Lirain and Kobuz. This was a good performance by the 6-y-o Valldemoso, which had won the two top crosscountry chases of the summer in North Moravia, first the Wrbna Racing Prize at Svetla Hora and then the Albertovska Cross-country at Albertovec.
On Saturday September 11th, at Pardubice, the last of the four qualification races for the Velka Pardubicka was won by Valldemoso from Lirain and Kobuz. This was a good performance by the 6-y-o Valldemoso, which had won the two top crosscountry chases of the summer in North Moravia, first the Wrbna Racing Prize at Svetla Hora and then the Albertovska Cross-country at Albertovec. Interestingly, he was ridden by a different rider in each of these wins - first Miroslav Stancik, then Dusan Andres, and at Pardubice Jan Faltejsek, who stood in after Dusan fell in an earlier race and injured a shoulderblade. Lirain was given a fine ride by Josef Vana snr, who now trains the horse. The other finishers were, in descending order, Baggio, Welldancer, Lakreg and Korinka. Gont, Hirsch and Tresh all failed to get round and are not qualified for the Velka Pardubicka. Valldemoso is the kind of Czech-bred (by Mill Pond) rough diamond, bred by his owner, presumably with his own favourite mare, that every small owner and trainer dreams of, and DS Sendy Ostrava Neuvirt and trainer Jiri Uhl have already lived the dream with Valldemoso, which is trained not far from the centre of Ostrava. However, the opposition will be tougher on October 10th. Lirain had the benefit, at long last, of a consummate rider. Wrbna Racing now have two horses qualified for the Velka, Baggio and Ignacio. However, this was a less than impressive performance by Baggio, and neither of the Wrbna horses has lived up to earlier promise so far this season. Josef Vana snr has several better horses in the VP than Lirain and Kobuz, and Welldancer disappointed again, this time ridden by Josef Vana jnr. The trainer was probably more impressed by Del Sole, already qualified for the VP, which beat a good Category III field in the final race of the afternoon. |
