September 2016 has been a month of Indian summer in the Czech Republic. The mornings have been a bit chilly, but the afternoons have been sunny and warm. Afternoon temperatures as high as 25˚ are forecast right up to the end of the month.

Today’s 77^th running of the Gran Premio at Merano produced a Czech-trained winner. Trainer Josef Váňa  won the biggest Italian steeplechase for the third time, but this time not with Alpha Two, winner of the race in 2013 and 2014. This time the winner was Mazhilis, having his first run in the Gran Premio.

Trainer Josef Váňa is sending four horses to run in Sunday’s Gran Premio at Merano. However, Alpha Two, Fafintadenient, Mazhilis and Alcydon Fan will not be among the most fancied horses for Italy’s top steeplechase. Both Josef Váňa snr, who has been preparing the horses for the race, and his son, Josef Váňa jnr, who will also be riding Alpha Two in the race, are aware of this.

Saturday, September 24^th is European Jockeys’ Cup day at Prague Velká Chuchle racecourse. Last year’s inaugural EJC day was a major success.

The first three-day Festival of Swedish Racing was held at the new Bro Park racecourse in Stockholm on September 9^th – 11^th, with two major race days and a yearling sale.

Ever since Barbora Málková rod

TRIP TO RHODOS

The Wielka Wroclawska steeplechase and the Wielka Partynicka hurdle will be run at Wroclaw Partynice racecourse on Sunday, September 4^th. There has been a strong revival of steeplechasing at Wroclaw in recent years, and Sunday’s meeting will be the racecourse’s biggest single day of racing in modern times.

Click here for runners and riders  

124 horses are entered for the Melbourne Cup, which will be run on November 1^st. 31 of the entries are from outside Australasia. For the first time ever, a Czech-owned and Czech-trained horse has been entered for this race, which is a handicap over two miles, for total prize money of six thousand two hundred Australian dollars. There is prize money for the first ten past the post.