No Time To Lose wins Grand Pardubice steeplechase

Pardubice, East Bohemia, Oct 8 (CTK) - Eight-year-old bay horse No Time To Lose with Czech jockey Jan Kratochvil won 127th Grand Pardubice steeplechase race on Sunday, overcoming Urgent de Gregaine with French jockey Felix de Giles in the last part of the course before the finish line.

The 26-year-old Kratochvil won the race for the first time, same as No Time To Lose. Their coach was legendary Josef Vana Senior, 64, who won the anual race eight times as a jockey.

The only mare among the racing horses, Delight My Fire, finished third.

Last year’s champion, Charme Look, was among the leading horses for a long time, but he did not complete the race. With the rainy weather and soggy ground, only eight of the 19 horses finished the steeplechase.

Jockey Jan Faltejsek, who has won the steeplechase four times, did not compete due to health troubles.

Results of 127th Grand Pardubice steeplechase race (6900 m, horses at least six years old, prize money: 5,000,000 crowns): 1. No Time To Lose (jockey Kratochvil, coach Vana Sr., stable Paragan), 2. Urgent de Gregaine (j. De Giles), 3. Delight My Fire (j. Loven), 4. Zarif (j. Bartos), 5. Ange Guardian (j. Vana Jr), 6. Universe Of Gracie (j. Kousek).