Great Pardubice steeplechase to take place on Oct. 11 without spectators

The 130th edition of the Great Pardubice (Velká pardubická), considered to be Europe’s challenging steeplechase, will take place next Sunday (October 11) but without spectators, due to the Covid-19 uptick.

The celebrated Czech steeplechase, first held in 1874, has in recent years attracted about 30,000 spectators on average. Currently, 18 horses are registered for the race.

Among the contenders are last year’s winner, Theophilos, Tzigane du Berlais (2018), No Time To Lose (2017) and Ribelino (2015). However, the 2019 winning jockey, Josef Bartoš, will not compete due to a knee injury.