Velka Pardubicka 2026: Final Orders Wins Czechia's Toughest Chase

Velka Pardubicka 2026: Final Orders wins again for Cromwell and Donoghue

The Velka Pardubicka 2026 winner is Final Orders, a 10-year-old trained in Ireland by Gavin Cromwell and ridden by Keith Donoghue. He won the 136th running of the Velka Pardubicka at Pardubice, Czechia, on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, beating the 2024 co-winner Godfrey (Jan Faltejsek), with Angkor Wat third of 10 runners.

That makes it back-to-back wins for the trainer and jockey. In 2025 they won with Stumptown, the first Irish-trained winner in a race that dates back to 1874.

It wasn't a perfectly smooth ride, though reports differ on where the trouble came. The Racing Post said Final Orders made a big mistake at the Taxis fence early on and quoted Donoghue saying he lost a stirrup. The Czech news agency ČTK reported that his only problem came at the first hedge of the Big Gardens (Velké zahrádky), and Donoghue called it a calmer ride than in 2025. Either way, they recovered and beat Godfrey after a hard battle in the home straight.

The result at a glance

The small horse with a big heart

Cromwell told reporters Final Orders was "definitely the smallest horse in the race" but has "a big heart." He was bought seven years ago for just 14,000 guineas, a modest price in jump racing. The Pardubice win was worth more than £72,000 to his owners, the CMD Syndicate.

What is a cross-country steeplechase?

A cross-country steeplechase is a jump race that leaves the normal racecourse loop. Horses jump a mix of natural-looking obstacles: hedges, banks, ditches, rails and water. The course crosses grass and farmland and often doubles back on itself.

Think of it as racing's version of a hunting run across the countryside. The sport did start that way. The Czech tourism board traces the race to hunts held in the 1830s before the first Velka Pardubicka in 1874.

How it differs from other racing

• Flat racing: no jumps, usually 5 furlongs to about 2½ miles, on an oval track. Speed matters most.
• Regular jump racing (hurdles and steeplechases): uniform fences in a row on the racecourse, usually 2 to 3½ miles.
• Cross-country chases: varied obstacles, twisting routes, changes of ground and long distances. Stamina, footwork and a cool head matter more than raw speed.

If you know the sport of eventing, the cross-country phase has a similar feel. The difference is that this is a race, with a full field galloping together.

The Velka Pardubicka course and the Taxis fence

The Velka Pardubicka is about 6,900 meters, which British racing calls roughly 4 miles 2½ furlongs. Horses jump 31 obstacles, and the race typically takes 9 to 10 minutes. For comparison, the Cesarewitch, a long flat race at Newmarket, is about 2¼ miles.

Part of the route crosses farmland, including stretches of plowed ground. That changes how a horse moves and tires, so riders must save energy for the run home on grass.

Why the Taxis fence is famous

Taxis is the race's signature obstacle and is jumped only once a year, in this race. It's a hedge about 150 cm (roughly 5 ft) high with a wide, deep ditch hidden on the landing side. Horses can't see the ditch until they're in the air, so it tests trust and judgment.

• Size today: VisitCzechia lists the obstacle as 580 cm long (a 180 cm-long hedge plus a 4 m ditch). A 2026 preview by Slovakia's Sportnet says horses have to clear about 7 m.
• Past changes: in the 1990s the ditch was made shallower, from about 2 m to 1 m, because it was considered too dangerous. Sportnet says recent safety work has made the ditch shallower still and the landing edge gentler.
• Where it comes: early in the race, while the field is still bunched.

Safety and the welfare debate

The Velka Pardubicka has a long history of falls, and horses have died at Taxis over the years. That has made it one of the most debated races in Europe. In 2023 Radio Prague reported that about 10,000 people had signed a petition against the Taxis jump. It was first launched after a horse died in the 2020 race and was revived after another death in 2023, and the organizers announced a review.

Supporters say the race is a national tradition and that the course has already been eased. Critics say no tradition justifies the risk. Both sides agree that safety on the day matters, from course preparation to how the riders handle the big fences.

In 2026, the runaway leader Araucarias hit the post marking the turn at the French jump and unseated Jakub Kocman, according to ČTK. Kocman was standing in for Josef Bartoš, who was hurt in a fall in the day's opening race. Neither the Racing Post nor ČTK reported injuries from the big race itself. Cromwell said loose horses were a worry and the ground "wasn't ideal."

If you're new to riding and these images worry you, our safety guide explains how everyday riders manage risk.

Why Cheltenham cross-country horses suit Pardubice

Cheltenham in England has its own cross-country course, with banks, hedges and tight turns through the infield. It's the closest thing Britain and Ireland have to Pardubice, and the same horses keep showing up at both.

Final Orders racehorse form shows why:

• December 2025: won over Cheltenham's cross-country course under Donoghue.
• March 11, 2026: won the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham Festival under Conor Stone-Walsh.
• April 2026: finished seventh in the Grand National at Aintree.
• Oct. 11, 2026: won the Velka Pardubicka.

Stumptown, the 2025 winner, also came through the Cheltenham cross-country race. The skills transfer: these horses jump odd obstacles carefully, adjust their stride on their own and stay for a long way.

What makes a good cross-country chaser

• Stamina to keep galloping for 9 or more minutes.
• Clever feet to recover when a fence or ditch surprises them.
• Experience over unusual fences, which usually takes several seasons.
• A level head in a crowd, around loose horses and at strange fences.
• A partnership with a rider who knows the course.

Note that size isn't on the list. Final Orders proves a compact horse can win if he jumps well and keeps going. Learn more about how horses are built in our anatomy guide.

What to watch next

Cromwell says Final Orders will get a break and then a spring campaign, likely including another run on Cheltenham's cross-country course. He didn't rule out a return to Pardubice in 2027 but was cool on another Grand National.

• Cheltenham cross-country races: these run through the winter and into the March Festival. Watch for Final Orders, Stumptown and the other Cromwell horses.
• Pardubice 2027: the race is held every year on the second Sunday of October. Godfrey's rider, Jan Faltejsek, is already a seven-time winner.
• The welfare conversation: look for any course or rule changes the organizers announce before the next race.

The Velka Pardubicka is a Listed race, not a Grade 1. Our explainer on race grades shows how that ranking works. For more racing, visit Trends.