Work of the late Zsolt Hegedus helping to maintain Hungary’s rich tradition

Glorious Goodwood does offer cursory acknowledgement of the contribution of one country to racing’s vast annals with the running of the Kincsem Handicap.

Hungary’s eternal champion, who travelled Europe by train and has the 1878 Goodwood Cup among her unbeaten streak of 54, is immortalised in the name of the racecourse in Budapest and locals are rightfully still proud of her extraordinary achievements.

It has rarely emerged into the mainstream since then, aside from 15 years ago when Overdose 'won' a chaotic Prix de l’Abbaye marred by a false start, but there is a small movement under way to ensure that a rich tradition of breeding and horse culture is not remembered only as a relic.

The Babolna National Stud has been quietly investing in new stock and, at Baden-Baden’s premier sale next month it will offer four yearlings carrying a 'Hun' suffix.

This was the beginning of a feature I wrote recently, and it breaks off this way because it has taken a tragic twist. I had a pleasant and interesting half-hour conversation with Zsolt Hegedus, who was managing Babolna's thoroughbred division and driving this change in strategy. We spoke on a Friday but after that weekend, I learned that he had died suddenly. 

It is a strange sensation when you can't confess to knowing someone, but a privilege of racing journalism is being able to spend time talking to people about what is invariably their passion. Zsolt, who spoke excellent English with a perceptible French twang - the legacy of spending many years working in betting technology provision for the PMU - was an owner and breeder himself and was unquestionably enthusiastic about his project. 

I understand that the yearlings are still likely to head for the sales and it feels as if some of Zsolt's words should still be used to tell their story, as he had expressed an interest in knowing when an article would be published.

"It’s a new direction," Zsolt had explained. "We decided to change some of the mares, we had lots from here with historical families but we aren’t able to go to Europe to the sales with them because nobody knows the families. 

"I guess we can come back to Kincsem; very few people probably know that Camelot is a descendent of her."

West of the Danube, towards the borders with Slovakia and Austria, Babolna itself is a 3,500-hectare operation which raises Purebred and the native Shagyar Arabians and boasts a vivid history, detailed on the stud’s website, which traces back to 1789.

The arm for thoroughbreds, 20 minutes away at Diospuszta, is smaller and comparatively younger. There are around 64 thoroughbred mares, just under half of whom are boarders, and the team balance complex responsibilities as the estate brings in extra cash from agriculture and local energy provision.

"It’s close to Kisber, which is where Kincsem was born, as well as Kisber himself, who won the [1876] Epsom Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris, so these are very good lands for breeding," said Zsolt.

"There are not many other countries - I think there are four - who bred English Classic winners and we’re among them. Germany was the last who had not won a Classic in England before Kazzia won the Oaks.

"Every year we have around 40 yearlings, every year we get a Classic winner here in Hungary, which could be Listed class in Germany. We had Esti Feny, who won everything and we sold him to Australia, where he’s still running and has won a Listed race. He’s eight now. It’s really good with our horses, they’re tough and they can run."

Four of a kind

The yearlings at the BBAG Sale in Baden-Baden next Friday are all recognisable because they are the progeny of mares bought in foal at the sales, for decent enough sums, with the assistance of agent Oliver St Lawrence.

"About four years ago we started trying to buy good mares," said Zsolt. "They were all able to run, rated around 90, and we bought Group winners, Group 1-placed mares.

"If you aren’t a sheikh you sometimes must say, 'This is less important', and so I tried to find mares with good pedigree, conformation, racing career, but covered by not so fancied stallions. 

"We have four foals by Study Of Man as I really believe in Deep Impact and I think his son can do something as he’s from one of the best Niarchos families and won the Prix du Jockey Club."

Zsolt had felt that there was "a big question mark" as to how the market would embrace Babolna’s quartet of yearlings, which are being offered through Gestut Lunzen, but several had been looking better than they were.

"If they were bred in England or Ireland, two would be worth a lot of money," he said.

Irish Group-winning Ainippe is responsible for one of the BBAG draftCredit: Patrick McCann

"Zeb Un Nisa was rated 94 when we bought her from Hascombe and Valiant Stud and then along came Queen Aminatu, who has won Listed races; her last yearling by Night Of Thunder sold for 280,000gns at Book 2, and we have have the next one by Study Of Man (lot 195). 

"Then Ainippe, she won Group races and was Group 1-placed. Her first three were not so good but this year she has Tourist, the two-year-old with Ger Lyons who has run twice and been beaten by Johannes Brahms and then River Tiber, who is among the best in Europe. He has not run since but that’s a very nice update and we have a Kameko colt from her (150)."

There is another Study Of Man colt from the Lanwades family of Alpinista (86) and a Too Darn Hot filly (41) who Zsolt described as "just a beauty".

"Her only problem is that the mare Country Music was with Andre Fabre and came out only at four, but I know Andre very well and if he didn’t see anything in her she would have been taken out of training," he said.

"It’s a strange pedigree, two Aga Khan lines crossing, both from Godolphin. Country Music is a daughter of Shawanda and she’s by Too Darn Hot, from Dar Re Mi and the family of Darshaan. It’s why I called her Candarshana."

Changing times

After we ran through the yearlings, Zsolt had offered a wider picture of the health of a Hungarian industry generally assumed to be in a constant state of crisis. His view was that it was improving, as the area had a stud and stable staff training centre with graduates working all around Europe, while he reported that Kincsem Park has had a makeover with a new grandstand. 

Overall, there is now a very small annual foal crop of around 150, but Babolna had been doing its bit to improve matters and currently has four stallions on the roster.

Cirfandli, Listed-placed in Italy, is more unusual for being the only son of Overdose at stud, while Zsolt owned Dutch Art’s son Pigeon Catcher, who won in France for Pia Brandt and was the sire of Esti Feny from his minuscule early crops.

Mokarris won the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes and was second to Blue Point in the Gimcrack, while he was very encouraged about the newest recruit Ecrivain, twice a Group 3 winner in France for Carlos Laffon-Parias and the Wertheimer family. He had covered more than 50 mares from all over Central Europe, a figure almost unheard of in Hungarian breeding.

It had all seemed such a commendable endeavour in attempting to resurrect the profile of an almost forgotten jurisdiction. The appearance by the yearlings in Germany now has a great poignance and hopefully Babolna will find others to continue the project inspired by Zsolt Hegedus.

"We have two feet on the ground," he had said. "I don’t expect very high results, but for us the most important thing is these four horses go to good homes and trainers because our plan is to introduce Babolna. We will also go to France for racing with our horses just to show the name. 

"This is the first step. Of course, the suffix 'Hun' is not so sexy for people, but we’ll see how it goes."

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