Count István Széchenyi, who took part in Napoleon Wars as a well decorated Hussar officer, travalled in England in 1815. After his arrival home he said: „there are three things to be learned from England: the constitution, the machine industry and the horse breeding".

In 1816 he made purchased 21 full pedigree horses in England, and they arrived at his Nagycenk estate.

Széchenyi together with his aristocrat companions decided to organize horse-races also in Hungary in order to improve the quality of horses by selection. In 1821 he elaborated the rules and regulation of races on English method and asked for permission from the Emperor. He got it for Pozsony (Pressburg, now Bratislava), near to Vienna in 1826.

The first races were run in 6. June 1827 at the Pest Turf (Pesti Gyep) with complete success. The most part of horses were trained by trainers engaged from England and ridden by English jockeys, however there were farmers’ races at the first day as well.

The stallion Buccaneer was purchased for the in 1853 established Kisbér State Stud and he was there in service for 21 years. His son Kisbér (out of mare Mineral) made his name famous at home and all over the international sport life by having won the Derby in Epsom.

Kincsem gave 4 progenies at the stud and but only the fillies (Budagyöngye, Ollyan nincs!, Kincs) established still living families.The number of offspring out of these families up to 1988 is 3773 and 1599 won altogether 5730 victories, from which 303 were breeding races and 114 Group-Races. It meens that the genes of Kincsem are living, (she was born in family 4-o of Bruce Law, where racing and inheritance both are in high level). According to the investigation of talented Gábor Vesztényi in the former Soviet Union 1132, in Hungary 940, in Germany 631, in France 322, in Poland 173, in Romania 175, in England 74, in Austria 47, in Czech Republic 39, in Italy, 39, in Ireland, 21 and in other countries also some Kincsem progeny are carrying the genes of the Hungarian Wonder. There were and there are many good horses in this family, however none of them could reach the performance of the foundress according to the genetic rule of Galton’s regression.

Conforming to the common opinion of practical breeders the imported stallion lines from England loose their ability to improve the performance of Thoroughbred horses after some generations. In general the grand sons of an imported improver can not produce good progeny equal to the required quality. This phenomenon is explicated by the problems of acclimatization. Besides Kincsem family, however two stallion lines can be mentioned producing classic vinners also in eigth and seventh generations in Hungary. After the Austro-Hungarian compromise of 1867 the Hungarian State Studs were directed by Ferenc Kozma an excellent specialist.

1.) In 1899 Morgan, a six year old bay stallion was imported from England to Kisbér. The progenies of this high producing stallion survived through the two World Wars of the 20th century and members of Morgan-Pardon-Pázmán-Duce-Dukát-Direktor-Dárius-Rádium stallion line are producing vinners and breeding stallions up to the last years.

2.) For the Ászár Stud the five year old stallion Caissot were purchased from the stud of Lord Derby in 1928. According to opinon of the breeder and owner of this horse Hungary could solve the problem of its Thoroughbred breeding for half a century by the use of this stallion.

The English breeder could not, however predict that after the second World War only a chestnut colt of Caissot survives carrying the line and realizing the prediction: the line: Caissot-Intermezzo II.-Imi-Imperial-Rustan-Turbo-Taurus.

As it was mentioned before the trainers and jockeys came for England for the training and racing of horses like in England. From the first immigrants the Benson and Hesp family must be emphasized. Robert Hesp was the trainer of Kincsem. The names of Taral-Milne-Smart former jockeys, later trainers, the Kincsem rider Madden (42 victories) and Wainright and Busby and Planner and Huxtable (riders for the Festetics stable) must not be forgotten.

It is worth to mention that many of the members of these families became Hungarian and they are living in Hungary, however some of them returned to England after the outbreak of First Word War. May be people even at Newmarket do not know the origin of the name of the trainer’s living house „lodge Balaton" . Frank Butters was the trainer of prince Festetics at Keszthely, at the capital of the lake Balaton and he got such a rich pecuniary compensation that he could build such a nice house and training center.

On the other hand, at the beginning of the 20^th century, the Hungarian owners sent some excellent apprentices in Newmarket for trainer apprentices: Ferenc Bonta, Géza Janek, Pál Bocskai. It was a successful mission, because also the home remaining apprentices could learn from them. Between two World Wars the Hungarian jockeys were popular in neighbouring Austria and Germany (Ferenc Friedrich, Sándor Sajdik, Vendel Vasas, József Sejbal, Gustav Hozang etc.)

In World War II the Hungarian Thoroughbred industry suffered enormous damages in both, horses and riders.

Many of the jockeys left the country and enhanced the reputation of the Hungarian Thoroughbred breeding in Germany, France and Skandinavian countries. Count János Pejacsevich as trainer of Gestüt Röttgen won laurels, Albert Klimscha earlier as jockey, later as trainer earned fame for countess Margit Batthyányi in Germany and France. József Klimscha, Mihály Weissbach, József Kajári, János Seres worked in the Skandinavian countries with success. From the young generation Pál Bocskai jun., his son György, Péter Alafi, János Tandari are riding with good results all over Western Europe and even Péter Alafi took part at some meetings in Hon Kong as well.

At the initiatives of English and French leaders and specialists of Thoroughbred World a 3 day conference has been organized, near to the date of the famous race Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for the Thoroughbred breeders and owners of the world. The first conference was held in 1968. Hungary was invited in 1972 among the 23 participants of that time as the first from the east countries. At these conferences all the problems of Thoroughbred breeding, racing, finacement and health are discussed. When discussing the use of horses’names, in 1978 the Hungarian delegat resulted in protecting the names of excellent Hungarian horses Kincsem and Imperial (the Derby winners’names, like Kisbér’s, are authomatically protected).

Hungarian people like very much horses, well the Hungarian conquerors arrived on horse back into the Carpathian basin.

The Thoroughbred horse must be grown up, to be liked and kept as a member of the family. Nowadays there are more and more people dealing with Thoroughbred breeding and racing.

Fotók: Pendragon Fotótár – Grafikák: König Róbert

Ez a CD-ROOM az Állatorvos Tudományi Egyetem, Állattenyésztési Tanszéke, a Magyar Lovaregylet, a Nemzeti Lóverseny Kft., és a Pendragon Pedigree Service,

Köszönjük

dr. Bodó Imre professzor úr,

Pécsi István úr (Nemzeti Lóverseny Kft.)

Péter Csaba úr (angolteliver.hu webserver gazda)

segítségét.