“He already ran the Grand Prix once, although he was only seventh in 2020, but we got him further. Aged, the hardy matures within ten years. There are also older horses in the starting field, I won with Železník when he was 13. Lodgian could give it,” reflects Váňa.
Lodgian Whistle, representative of the Statek Chyše-Váňa stable, together with jockey Ondřej Velek, won the second qualification. At the same time, the shapely gelding didn’t have to race at all. In 2021, he suffered a serious injury from a race in Merano, tearing a tendon.
“The vet almost euthanized him,” recalls Váňa. “However, the last qualification did not work out for us, so we go to Velká with the understanding that we do not know if the less than seven kilometers will be long for him,” he adds.
Seventy-year-old Váňa is also training the winner of the first qualification, Chelmsford, who, however, will not show up at the start on Sunday due to injury. After No Time To Lose in the saddle with Velek and Dusigrosz with Marko Stromský did not finish last year, Váňa now wants Lodgian Whistle to cross the finish line in good health. “He can jump, everyone knows that. I imagine he will like it better at the front of the grid. It’s about getting a head start, or setting a hellish pace, so that the fast guys don’t catch up to him at the end,” the record holder in the number of triumphs outlines his tactics.
Josef Váňa Jr. will also have one horse at the start, specifically the mare Santa Klara from the Scuderia Aichner SRL stable with jockey Jan Kratochvíl. According to Váni the elder, everyone has to reckon with her.
“Very good mare, I dug her up myself in Poland. I’m rooting for her. Experience will be lacking, even though we saw that he has no problem jumping in Pardubice. If she can handle the obstacles, let them watch out for her,” says Váňa.
As of midday on Wednesday, Lodgian Whistle was the fourth favorite at 8.75 to win, with Santa Klada at 15.
2023-10-04 17:34:15
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