Velká pardubická 2026: ten horses, main race Oct 11 at 3:30 pm

On Sunday, October 11, 2026, the 136th Velká pardubická takes place at the racecourse in Pardubice. The main race starts at 3:30 pm, with a prize pool of 5 million crowns. Only ten horses are on the start list, the fewest since at least 1993. There were originally 11 entries, but Zarate dropped out with an injury.

Who will be on the start line

Last year the famous race was won by a foreigner for the first time in 30 years: Irish jockey Keith Michael Donoghue on Stumptown. This time Donoghue will ride Final Orders, while Stumptown is not running. The horses that finished second and third last year, High In The Sky and Čáryjape, are back to defend their places.

Two former winners are in the field. Godfrey (the 2024 winner) will be ridden by seven-time champion Faltejsek, and Sacamiro (the 2023 winner) by Lenka Neprašová, the only woman in the race. Qualification ran from May to September: four qualifying races produced 26 horses, joined by last year’s winner. Entries closed on October 1. In 2025, 15 horses ran in the main race.

Programme and prize money

Racing runs all day. The grounds open at 9:00 am, the opening ceremony is at 10:30 am, the first race at 11:00 am, and the main race awards ceremony at 4:00 pm. The winner receives 2 million crowns, second place 1.1 million, third 700,000. The seven best horses share 5 million.

Tickets, getting there and TV

A standing ticket costs 500 crowns on site (the online price was 400 until September 30). Students and seniors pay 200 crowns, a family ticket is 1,100 crowns. Children under 10 and visitors with ZTP, TP and ZTP/P cards get in free. Seats in the stands start at 900 crowns.

You can get there by city transport to the “Ipodrom” stop, or by train to the “Pardubice, ipodrom” stop on the Pardubice main station–Chrudim line. Parking on the closed I/37 road runs from 8 am to 7 pm and costs 200 crowns; the civil part of the airport by the Jan Kašpar terminal opens at 8:45 am and costs 350 crowns.

Czech Television broadcasts the race live on “ČT sport” and “ČT 1”.

Source: sport.cz