Well-known Irish jump jockey looking forward to riding in ‘the world's toughest horse race’

Gordon Elliott saddles runner owned by Michael O’Leary in iconic Velka Pardubicka in the Czech Republic on Sunday

The ‘world’s toughest horse race’ takes place in the Czech Republic on Sunday and one leading Irish jump jockey is very excited to be taking part.

The Velka Pardubicka is an iconic cross country contest that takes place at the Pardubice racecourse every year with Sunday’s renewal the 134th running of the event.

The race sees horses and riders tackle 31 fearsome obstacles over almost four and a half miles for a prize-fund of around a prize fund of around £180,000.

Cheltenham Festival winning jockey Keith Donoghue will be the Irish participant in this year’s race, partnering the Gordon Elliott-trained and Gigginstown House-owned Coko Beach.

It’s the Meathman’s first ride in a race that is run on a mixture of turf and ploughed fields and where the notorious Taxis ditch is the fourth fence.

The ditch has been modified in recent times from being two metres deep and five metres long to today’s structure which is 0.75m deep and one metre in length.

It is, though, still considered one of the most difficult and dangerous jumps in the world of steeplechasing and the race itself is considered much tougher than the Grand National at Aintree.

Coko Beach is no stranger to cross country courses having finished third in the La Touche at Punchestown in May and he also competed at Aintree when 11th in the Grand National.

Donoghue has won the Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham four times and is looking forward to tackling this unique test on Sunday for the first time.

"I've never ridden in the race or been over there, but I have seen plenty of videos of it and the Taxis ditch seems a good jump. I'm looking forward to it and I'm delighted to get a chance to ride in it with Gordon sending one over,” he told the Racing Post.

"Coko Beach is a great horse and a very good jumper. He has plenty of experience in the cross-country races. Patrick Mullins has rode in it a few times and Sean O'Keeffe rode in it last year. They're not in it this year but I'll be definitely asking them plenty of questions in the run-up."

The grey nine-year-old has won seven of his 35 starts, including the Thyestes Chase in 2021, with his last victory coming over Punchestown’s banks course last February.

Irish trainer John McConnell also intends to run his Streets Of Doyen with jockey Ben Harvey set to take the ride.

The race has never been won by an Irish-trained horse or an irish jockey.

Ruby Walsh broke his leg from a fall in the race in 1999 in a year when Risk of Thunder, a horse famously owned by Sean Connery, finished runner-up.

Champion amateur Patrick Mullins has competed in the race three times while Its A Snip, trained and ridden by Charlie Mann, was the last British winner back in 1995.