The Most Famous Horse in Hungary

Horse racing was brought into Hungary in 1827, by Széchenyi István. Hungarians were always known for their special bond with horses. Fighting for their home on the back of horses, using arrows. And even to this day, most of our people have special care for these animals. No wonder why gambling sites in Hungary are opening horse racing bets. In this article, we are going to discover the most famous horse in Hungary. 

Who is Kincsem? The Most Famous Horse in Hungary

Kincsem translates to “My Treasure”. She was a thoroughbred racing horse. Born in Tápiószentmárton, as the racing horse of Blaskovich Ernő. Her father was the horse of Queen Victoria. Once they were attempted to be sold, but the buyer refused to take her, viewing Kincsem as an inferior horse. And this is how Ernő Blaskovich decided to keep her as his racing horse. Little did the buyer know that he rejected the most famous horse in Hungary. She was a liver chestnut. Often told that her body proportions are slightly off due to being slender. Her personality was explained as quirky and giddy. However, these might have only been just coloring added to her story later. Many claim she had a best friend who was a cat, with whom she was spending most of her time. 

The Start of Her Career

She started her career in Germany in the same barn with Csalogány, another racing horse. Csalogány was the traveling and training friend of Kincsem. Their career started on 21th of June. Kincsem’s first race was a huge victory in which she beat three German horses. In the next month, she won the Hamburger Criterium by defeating a German filly called Adelaide. She then beat Blücher, an Austro-Hungarian colt. Then she attended the Royal Meeting and won the competition by outrunning a German filly called Regimentstrochter by 10 lengths. As a result of these victories, she and Csalogány returned to Hungary. This is when she beat Little Luder in the Polgárok Díja (Civilian Cup) which was hosted in Sopron.

The Best Record

This was by far the greatest of her victories. And thanks to her outstanding performance and otherworldly stamina, she was mentioned in a horse racing newspaper, called Vadász- és Versenylap (Hunting- and racing newsletter).

In the finals, she faced her friend and training partner, Csalogány in the Two-Years League. In which she defeated her. As a result of her victories, she was on the path to becoming the most famous horse in Hungary.

Becoming the Most Famous Horse in Hungary

By the next year, she and Csalogány became the two most successful horses of the Austro-Hungarian region. Entering her Three-Years-Old Season, she had many more achievements to gather. Starting their new seasons, Csalogány and Kincsem entered the Trial Stakes, in which Kincsem won once again, however her friend became a third place. While Csalogány began to gather more losses on her portfolio, Kincsem was still undefeated. This year, she collected many victories. Because of her still unbelievable success, at this point she became a legend in the region, becoming the most famous horse in Hungary. And at the same time, she was also receiving attention from all over Europe. At this point, she reached a level of popularity, when she won several races as a walkover. There was no point in trying to compete against her. She ended this season with seventeen victories unbeaten. 

Altona and Kincsem

During her Four-Years-Old Season, Kincsem traveled to England, where she collected even more undefeated victories. However this time there were rumors about her health worsening due to the waters of England. But this might have been a baseless claim, which was born from the “legendary waters” of Hungary.

After more than three years of being unbeaten, Kincsem finally found a competitor. Altona, who replaced Csalogany in the barn. Kincsem’s status of being undefeatable was shaken. Because they were scoring a perfectly even match, resulting in both of them winning first place. They needed to find a way to set a winner, and for this, they scheduled a rematch. 

Kincsem Undefeated

The match was exciting, with Altona getting a headstart over Kincsem. According to Wikipedia, a dog entered the race to Chase Kincsem, with both of the horses becoming scared. Altona took advantage of Kincsem being scared. With the horse rider whipping Kincsem, she managed to catch up with Altona. And finally, she defeated her, but she was in a deadly condition at the victory, needing a long rest. After her well deserved winter rest, Kincsem returned to Hungary. There she received a  National Award.

The Most Famous Horse in Hungary

Kincsem became the most famous horse in Hungary, for her long and invincible record. She had exactly 54 matches undefeated in a row. Because of this, she is still holding the world record to this day. Beating Black Caviar with 31 wins ahead. According to Britannica.

Kincsem’s career ended when one of her stablemates kicked her and she became heavily injured. Owner, Blaskovitch Ernő decided to retire the horse. According to the 1887 Article of Vadász- és Versenylap, published by Library.hungaricana. She died in 1887, as she fell ill, and she had trouble with eating and drinking. As a result to this, she met an early death.

The Legacy of Kincsem

The dead of Kincsem did not leave her forgotten. You can find movies and theater acts published about her. You can also visit the Hungarian Blaskovich Museum in Tápiószele, Hungary. Because they have the greatest collection of the family’s belongings, and also the most truthful records of Kincsem’s life. And as well as you can find her name still on the top of the list of undefeated horses. If this article sparked your interest in horse racing and betting on horses. You can head to 22Bet Sportsbook. Who knows? You might be able to run into a horse who will have a record like Kincsem. Betting on horse racing is perhaps the most exciting form of betting.

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