Kincsem
Encyclopedia
Kincsem (1874-1887) was the most successful Thoroughbred
race horse ever, having won 54 races for 54 starts. Foaled in Tápiószentmárton
, Hungary
in 1874, she is a national icon, and is revered in other parts of the world, too. Over four seasons she won all her races against both female and male company at various race track
s across Europe
, a record that's still unbeaten.
, Cambuscan, was owned by Queen Victoria
. He was sold to Hungarian interests in 1873 and was brought to stand at the Hungarian National Stud, Kisber. Cambuscan, second in England's St. Leger Stakes
in 1864, was by Newminster, his dam, The Arrow was by Slane. Kincsem was out of the Hungarian mare
Waternymph, a daughter of the English horse Cotswold, by Newcourt (by Sir Hercules
). Kincsem's third dam, Seaweed was also by Slane making her inbred to him in the third and fourth generations (3x4).
A perhaps apocryphal story surrounds the beginnings of Kincsem. Running with a group of fifty horses on the grounds of her owner's ancestral Hungarian home, she alone was lanky and ungainly. She would stand with her head low and her eyes half-opened. One night she went missing...and when found again, was with a band of gypsies. "Why," asked her puzzled owner of the thief, "steal this horse when there were so many better to chose from?" "Because," answered the gypsy, "The other horses may be better looking, but she was the best of the lot. She'll be a champion."
Kincsem's career began in 1876. She was entered for ten races in ten different places in Hungary, Germany
and Austria
as a two-year-old and won them all.
As her unbeaten streak against Europe's best horses continued, Kincsem attracted great interest from the European racing public. Emperor Franz Josef
was known to be a fan. As a three-year-old she won the Two Thousand Guineas in Pozsony, the One Thousand Guineas and the Oaks in Budapest
, not to mention the Austrian Derby, the Kaiserpreis in Vienna
and the Grosser Preis von Hanover
and Grosser Preis von Baden
. In all she had seventeen victories.
Her four-year-old campaign was equally successful, beginning with nine straight victories. She travelled to England
to take part in the Goodwood Cup
, but injury to the fancied Verneuil
meant it was an easier challenge than expected.
As a four-year-old Kincsem won the Grand Prix de Deauville and the Grosser Preis von Baden again (after a run-off following a dead-heat).
Kincsem had her fiftieth victory in Frankfurt the next year. Her last race was the Hungarian Autumn Oaks which she won for the third time.
Her five offspring were:
The progeny of Kincsem's three daughters won 41 classic races in Austria, France, Germany, Hungary and Italy.
She died on her thirteenth birthday March 17, 1887 from a colic
attack, shortly after the birth of her last foal, Kincs. Newspapers across Hungary edged their pages in black the day she passed. Flags were flown at half mast.
There is a life sized statue of her near the stadium at Kincsem Park
in Budapest where the Kincsem Museum is located.
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
race horse ever, having won 54 races for 54 starts. Foaled in Tápiószentmárton
Tápiószentmárton
-References:...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
in 1874, she is a national icon, and is revered in other parts of the world, too. Over four seasons she won all her races against both female and male company at various race track
Race track
A race track is a purpose-built facility for racing of animals , automobiles, motorcycles or athletes. A race track may also feature grandstands or concourses. Some motorsport tracks are called speedways.A racetrack is a permanent facility or building...
s across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, a record that's still unbeaten.
Pedigree
Kincsem's sireFather
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
, Cambuscan, was owned by Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. He was sold to Hungarian interests in 1873 and was brought to stand at the Hungarian National Stud, Kisber. Cambuscan, second in England's St. Leger Stakes
St. Leger Stakes
The St. Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.Established in 1776, the St. Leger...
in 1864, was by Newminster, his dam, The Arrow was by Slane. Kincsem was out of the Hungarian mare
Mare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
Waternymph, a daughter of the English horse Cotswold, by Newcourt (by Sir Hercules
Sir Hercules
Sir Hercules was an Irish bred Thoroughbred racehorse, and was later a successful sire.-Pedigree:Sir Hercules was by the great sire Whalebone, winner of the Epsom Derby, out of Peri by Wanderer. Peri was bred to Whalebone at the age of three and Sir Hercules, her first foal, was born in 1826 at...
). Kincsem's third dam, Seaweed was also by Slane making her inbred to him in the third and fourth generations (3x4).
A perhaps apocryphal story surrounds the beginnings of Kincsem. Running with a group of fifty horses on the grounds of her owner's ancestral Hungarian home, she alone was lanky and ungainly. She would stand with her head low and her eyes half-opened. One night she went missing...and when found again, was with a band of gypsies. "Why," asked her puzzled owner of the thief, "steal this horse when there were so many better to chose from?" "Because," answered the gypsy, "The other horses may be better looking, but she was the best of the lot. She'll be a champion."
Racing career
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
as a two-year-old and won them all.
As her unbeaten streak against Europe's best horses continued, Kincsem attracted great interest from the European racing public. Emperor Franz Josef
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
was known to be a fan. As a three-year-old she won the Two Thousand Guineas in Pozsony, the One Thousand Guineas and the Oaks in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, not to mention the Austrian Derby, the Kaiserpreis in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and the Grosser Preis von Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
and Grosser Preis von Baden
Grosser Preis von Baden
The Grosser Preis von Baden is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Baden-Baden over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early September.-History:The event was established in 1858, and it...
. In all she had seventeen victories.
Her four-year-old campaign was equally successful, beginning with nine straight victories. She travelled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to take part in the Goodwood Cup
Goodwood Cup
The Goodwood Cup is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 2 miles , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August.-History:...
, but injury to the fancied Verneuil
Verneuil
-Places in France:*Verneuil, Charente, in the Charente département*Verneuil, Cher, in the Cher département*Verneuil, Marne, in the Marne département*Verneuil, Nièvre, in the Nièvre département...
meant it was an easier challenge than expected.
As a four-year-old Kincsem won the Grand Prix de Deauville and the Grosser Preis von Baden again (after a run-off following a dead-heat).
Kincsem had her fiftieth victory in Frankfurt the next year. Her last race was the Hungarian Autumn Oaks which she won for the third time.
Stud record
Kincsem retired at the age of seven and was only at stud for a short time.Her five offspring were:
- Budagyöngye ("Pearl of BudaBudaFor detailed information see: History of Buda CastleBuda is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian.Buda comprises about one-third of Budapest's...
"), filly 1882, by Buccaneer. Won German Derby - Ollyan Nincs ("None Such"), filly 1883, by Buccaneer. Won Hungarian St Leger.
- Talpra Magyar ("On Your Feet Now"), stallion 1885, by Buccaneer. Untried, but sired the exceptional, Tokio, winner of the Austrian Derby, Grosser Preis von Baden, and the Hungarian St Leger.
- Kincsőr ("Guardian of Treasure"), stallion 1886, by Doncater, second in the Austrian Derby and died shortly before the German Derby in which he was highly favoured.
- Kincs ("Treasure"), filly 1887, by Doncater. Untried, she became an influential broodmare, her daughter Napfény ("Sunshine") being a major stakes winner and in turn producing the good filly Miczi, winner of stakes races in Hungary and Austria.
The progeny of Kincsem's three daughters won 41 classic races in Austria, France, Germany, Hungary and Italy.
She died on her thirteenth birthday March 17, 1887 from a colic
Horse colic
Colic in horses is defined as abdominal pain, but it is a clinical sign rather than a diagnosis. The term colic can encompass all forms of gastrointestinal conditions which cause pain as well as other causes of abdominal pain not involving the gastrointestinal tract. The most common forms of colic...
attack, shortly after the birth of her last foal, Kincs. Newspapers across Hungary edged their pages in black the day she passed. Flags were flown at half mast.
There is a life sized statue of her near the stadium at Kincsem Park
Kincsem Park
Kincsem Park is a major horse racing venue in Budapest, Hungary. The 84-hectare park, named after the race horse Kincsem, can accommodate thoroughbred racing and harness racing, and it can also be configured as a concert venue...
in Budapest where the Kincsem Museum is located.