Named for a character in a long-running musical, this full brother to a champion racehorse and sire got a chance at stud on his brother's merits but earned three national sire championships on his own quality as a stallion. Name him and the country in which he stood/stands.
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This important producer was bred in France by an American owner, was seized by the Germans during World War II, and later became the property of an exiled prince. Along the way, she produced three fine racing daughters who all achieved some significance as broodmares in their own right. Who was she?
She was as homely as Hans Christian Andersen's duckling, but as a racehorse, Kincsem ("My Treasure" in the Magyar language) became a swan of rarest beauty. 54 times she went to the post, and 54 times she returned to the winner's enclosure, having defeated the best that could be thrown against her in five countries. When she died of colic at the age of 13, all Austria-Hungary mourned, with church bells being rung from town to town as the news of the great mare's passing spread. Today, visitors to Kinscem Park near Budapest can admire a life-sized sculpture of Kincsem before going on to the museum that bears her name or taking in the racing at the course---a fitting memorial for perhaps the greatest race mare of all time.
Kincsem left a legacy in more than bronze and artifacts, however, Although she produced but five foals before her untimely death, two of her daughters, Budagyöngye and Ollyan-Nincs, became Classic winners in Central Europe before going on to found enduring families. Kincsem's descendants were decimated during the two World Wars, but her line has survived through Balkiralyne, a Hungarian-bred granddaughter of Budagyöngye who was imported to England, and Winnica, a Polish-bred great-great-granddaughter of Ollyan-Nincs who was imported to Germany in 1922. Both recently had prominent descendants on display, for Balkiralyne is the tail-female ancestress of Coolmore's red-hot young sire Camelot, whose son Latrobe won the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (IRE-G1) and whose daughter Athena won the Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (USA-G1), and Winnica is the ancestress of the top German producer Wellenspiel, whose sons Windstoss and Weltstar have won the last two runnings of the Deutches Derby (German Derby, GER-G1). KIncsem is so far back in the pedigrees of these modern stars that, aside from the mitochondrial DNA that is passed directly through the female line, it is impossible to determine how much if any genetic influence she has had on Camelot, Windstoss and Weltstar. Nonetheless, it is nice to think that they owe perhaps an extra touch of class to the mare that during her lifetime was Hungary's national treasure. Named for a Navy acronym, this Suburban Handicap winner was a noted stayer who also won the Saratoga Cup twice and was later a marked influence on American breeding as well. Name this fine runner.
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AuthorI'm Avalyn Hunter, an author, pedigree researcher and longtime racing fan with a particular interest in Thoroughbred mares and their contributions to the history of the breed. Categories
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January 2025
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