69 Facts About Kincsem

Foaled in Kisber, Hungary in 1874, Kincsem is a national icon and widely considered one of the top racehorses of the 19th century.

Over four seasons, Kincsem won against both female and male company at various race tracks across Europe, including multiple Classic race victories in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Kincsem raced frequently in Germany, winning the Grosser Preis von Baden three times.

Kincsem's family has proved a lasting influence on the breed, with modern descendants including English Classic winners Polygamy and Camelot.

Kincsem was bred at the stud of Erno Blaskovich at Tapioszentmarton, in The Hungarian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Kincsem was sold to Hungarian interests and was brought to stand at the Hungarian National Stud in the Kisber District in 1873.

Kincsem was out of the Hungarian mare Waternymph, a daughter of the English horse Cotswold.

Kincsem was trained by Englishman Robert Hesp and ridden in most of her starts by Englishman Elijah Madden.

Kincsem was devoted to her groom, who traveled with her everywhere and was known as Frankie Kincsem.

Kincsem is over and over full of quality, long and deep, stands on dry, strong, flawless legs and shows herself to great advantage in a fast gallop.

Kincsem was particular about the quality of the water she drank.

Kincsem was beaten by the great four-year-old colt Basnas in Pokal and got a break.

The source of the legend was jockey Robert Smart, who told a story 34 years later that the horses were standing at the starting line but Kincsem stood behind them and grazing.

Kincsem finished the year with ten victories from ten starts.

At the halfway point, Kincsem moved to the front, and continued to draw away.

Kincsem won as she willed ahead of Camillo and Csalogany.

Kincsem was owned by Alexander Baltazzi, who had won the previous year's Epsom Derby with Kisber.

At the start, Tallos lost several lengths but soon moved close to Kincsem, who waited in third place behind Premier Coup and Pfeil.

Kincsem was not herself and Madden had to use the spurs to beat stablemate Vsecko-jedno by 2 lengths.

Kincsem ended the spring season with 6 victories in 30 days.

In Berlin, Blaskovich's two-year-old Bolygo won the Erstes Criterium, the same race as Kincsem won the previous year.

Kincsem beat the great Austro-Hungarian mare Konotoppa by 6 lengths with Derby winner Double Zero third in a field of five runners.

Five days later, Kincsem demonstrated her class again in the Waldchens-Preis in Frankfurt.

Back in Austria-Hungary, Kincsem ran seven races on four racetracks in 25 days.

Kincsem earned six victories by walkover and won a couple of races cantering against her stablemates, who did not challenge her, just running to take the second-place money.

The next day, she entered a race of the same name and the result was stated as a "compromise", meaning Kincsem cantering for the agreed victory over her stablemate Blankenese.

Two days later, Kincsem entered the Kanczadij, now known as the Hungarian Oaks but at that time a race for fillies and mares age three and up.

Kincsem again followed a long-margin leader in second place and won easily, beating her old rival Konotoppa by three lengths.

Kincsem met Prince Giles The First for the second time and beat him by a length, leading all the way.

Kincsem ended the season with 17 victories, having won at distances from 1600 metres to 3200 metres.

In 1878, Kincsem turned four years old, meaning that while in the previous year she had a weight for age advantage against older horses, she would now have to concede weight to three-year-olds.

At the halfway point, Kincsem made her move and easily went by Gondolat.

Two days later, Kincsem beat Prince Giles The First for the fifth time.

Kincsem took the early lead setting a slow pace, then Altona took over as the pace picked up.

That same day, Kincsem won the Staatspreis over 2800 meters, beating the nearest of three rivals easily by a length.

That concluded the spring part of her campaign, in which Kincsem won nine races in a span of 39 days at distances from 1600 to 3200 meters at the three main Austro-Hungarian racetracks.

Kincsem did not race in Germany as she was now targeting the Goodwood Cup in England.

Kincsem has, I believe, ridden the mare in nearly all her races, and the only wonder to me is that there is anything of her left, as she was spur marked from shoulder to tail; however he kept at it, and, catching Pageant a hundred yards from home, won in a canter.

The pace was set by Ellevion, a stablemate of Fontainebleau, but Kincsem used him as her own pacemaker, following him at the front of the pack.

Kincsem was at his top form, having just smashed heavy favourite Vitus in Doberan.

In front of the stands, Prince Giles and Kincsem moved to second and third place.

Kincsem, ridden hard by whip and spurs, fought back, closing more and more.

Kincsem caught up with him with 200 meters to go and won "deadly tired" by five lengths.

Kincsem won by half a length and went for a well deserved winter break with 15 victories that year.

Kincsem came into the race against Kincsem with two straight victories in 1879.

Vadasz- es Versenylap reported that Kincsem was much calmer than her two restless opponents and looked good but not "fit", having had only three or four true workouts before the race.

Kincsem cantered home 8 to 10 lengths ahead of Tallos "in the midst of the cracking joy of the audience".

Kincsem was not disturbed by a great storm and led all the way, easy beating her stablemate Altona by two lengths with the sole German runner Vitus 20 lengths behind.

Kincsem was shipped home to God along with Blaskovich's Purde, who had been the favourite for the Deutsches Derby but was injured in a workout fall.

Kincsem won by three quarters of a length ahead of Kunstlerin, with Hessenpreis a half a length behind in third and Rococo three lengths further back.

In January 1880, Vadasz- es Versenylap published a short message stating that Kincsem would stay in training as a six-year-old.

Kincsem had been seen galloping with such ease as before and her legs were as clean as ever.

Kincsem was unraced at two, was injured at three in a spring workout, and from two starts on the flat, he gained only one second-place finish and 415 florins in earnings.

Kincsem was renamed as Marczi and won five small races over hurdles.

Vadasz- es Versenylap once wrote that Kincsem alone was never sick and never hurt.

Kincsem was a promising two-year-old with three victories and three seconds, but was injured in the spring of her three-year-old campaign before the classic season.

Kincsem produced two classic winning fillies, Viglany and Dicso, and become a highly influential broodmare.

Kincsem struggled with a chronic nasal discharge and was shipped to the Imperial Stud Fogaras where she underwent surgery in February 1884 on the forehead and nasal bones.

Kincsem was considered quite promising after two second-place finishes at two.

Kincsem later won one selling race and was bought by Johannes Frohner, who sent him to his stud Karolina-udvar.

Kincsem struggled for a few days and on the day before the Derby, he was withdrawn.

Kincsem died shortly before the race, won by his stablemate Uram batyam.

The last foal of Kincsem was Kincs, born on 6 February 1887.

Kincsem was injured in a training accident and was unraced.

Kincsem was a useful broodmare, producing classic winning fillies Napfeny and Csokos-Asszony, and another two in the next generations, but her branch of Kincsem's female family no longer exists.

On 12 March 1887, Kincsem developed colic and despite all available care she died on 16 March 1887, a day before her thirteenth birthday.

Kincsem's skeleton was preserved and is on display in the Museum of Hungarian Agriculture.

Streets named for Kincsem are in Tapioszentmarton, where she was born, in Kisber where she died, in God, where she was trained, and in Dunakeszi, the biggest training centre in Hungary.

Kincsem was the result of a mistake: Blaskovich had planned to breed his mare Waternymph to Buccaneer, but instead the mare was mated with Cambuscan.