Velka Pardubicka

[Shammy Davis]

Over ten years ago, I saw a British Film Production of this race and have been intrigued ever since. Who breeds a horse to run a 4.25 mile steeplechase with 30 fences and what does one look for in a pedigree?

http://www.pardubice-racecourse.cz/?lang=en

[Shammy Davis]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardubice

[Shammy Davis]

http://www.freewebs.com/becher123/

[Shammy Davis]

Fastest time in 2005. Very familiar looking pedigree, I'll think you will agree.

http://www.pedigreequery.com/maskul

[Venusian]

Over ten years ago, I saw a British Film Production of this race and have been intrigued ever since. Who breeds a horse to run a 10 mile steeplechase and what does one look for in a pedigree?

http://www.pardubice-racecourse.cz/?lang=en

It's not run over 10 miles, it's 'only' around 4 1/4 miles!

So, a bit shorter than the Grand National at Aintree. It's probably somewhat similar in style to the old-style GN with its more upright fences on the take-off side, before they were modified to make them easier to jump (but not actually made lower).

Until about 10 or 20 years ago, Grand National winners had a real ragbag of pedigrees, varying from stamina-laden to almost sprint at times, but these days you need a real stayer. You used to get the odd classy 2 1/2 mile chaser winning, like Gay Trip and Specify in the 1970s, but not any more.

[Shammy Davis]

Thanks for the correction. I've corrected my initial post to reflect the distance. I don't know where I got the 10 miles from. I'll bet a PETA activist told me that.

[vineyridge]

A mare named Sixteen won in 2007 and 2008 and came 2nd in 2009. http://www.pedigreequery.com/sixteen2 She's a tiny thing, 15.2 at the biggest. The winner this year was ridden by his trainer, a 57 yo named Josef Vana, who has trained multiple winners of the race, including Sixteen. This year's winner is Tiumen. http://www.pedigreequery.com/tiumen

There is a lovely photo this year of the horses at the biggest jump on the course. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horseracing/6299556/Josef-Vana-adds-to-his-incredible-haul-of-victories-in-Velka-Pardubicka.html

[Shammy Davis]

Vineryridge: Thanks for the links. I remember seeing a series about this race on Animal Planet. I just thought it was extraordinary. One of my missions in life is to see this race and then to go Prague.

With 30 jumps over 4.25 miles, the horses have to have great athletic ability and stamina. There was one year when no horses even finished the race.

Thanks again.

[geowarrior]

I notice that Busted is prominent in Sixteen's pedigree. I was going to say look for Busted/Crepello in the pedigrees of good staying Steeplechasers. For example, a fairly recent winner of the Grand National is Silver Birch http://www.pedigreequery.com/silver+birch7.

Here's the pedigree of Red Rum, who was my horse icon of the seventies, he won the Grand National three times and came second twice, a feat which will likely never be repeated. He made 100 starts, winning over the flat, hurdles and over jumps. A horse for the ages, his tail male line goes back to Bend Or through the Boss, who was quite an influential sire in his own right. http://www.pedigreequery.com/red+rum

Here's the pedigree of another recent National winner, he also came second once. http://www.pedigreequery.com/hedgehunter

And here's the pedigree of the great 'chaser Ben Nevis, just elected to the American Steeplechasing Hall of Fame this year. He won the Grand National in 1968. Note that The Boss is prominent in his pedigree also, this time through the damsire. http://www.pedigreequery.com/ben+nevis3

[vineyridge]

Busted was one of the great sires of jumping TBs, both for eventing and chasing. Gold Bridge was equally great. Bobsleigh was the sire of Mossborough, who shows up a lot in jumping TBs. Mill Reef is a line that I wish were more common in NA, as is Habitat. Both were US breds, but both raced over the pond. Mill Reef is probably the most common line in French Chasers after Northern Dancer. Hyperion is well loved by the sport horse people, as is Teddy. Bachelor's Double is a really nice line to have in jumping horses. Grey Sovereign is special. And any time you have all three of the foundation sires on the first page, or at the minimum, two, IMHO, the horse will be a better performer and breeder than those who only have Eclipse close up.

We need as much genetic diversity as we can get in the modern day TB for soundness and stamina. (Oops. I'm starting to sound like Louis!)

[geowarrior]

I may be dating myself, but I actually remember watching Mill Reef on TV, winning the Epsom Derby.