Faux Depart: Overdose
October 7th 2008 08:34
The same day at Longchamp when Zarkava stunned with her brilliant victory, a race was (finally) run which had by this time descended into French farce. A Faux Depart!
The prestigious Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp is a Group 1 premier sprint (five furlongs) on the European racing calendar. To add flavour to the running this year a most unlikely new champion had emerged from the most unlikely of racing destinations - Hungary.
Overdose is a flying machine who is undefeated in 10 career starts in Hungary and Germany. In August Overdose easily defeated some quality sprinters in a Group 2 race at Baden-Baden in Germany. The next stop was to be the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp.
As is his usual manner Overdose flew the barriers and was soon hurtling along the Longchamp turf and stringing out his rivals. He has won most of his races in the same manner - and his first 8 wins were by an aggregate of more than 84 lengths.
But unfortunately this time the farce was to be the false start caused when flashing lights and flagmen failed to stop Overdose (and a few others) after Fleeting Spirit was left stranded in her stall when it did not open. Some of the horses proved difficult to pull up - and Overdose impossible to do so (even if his jockey had wished).
The race was finally run five hours after the false start at 7pm, and was won by Marchand d'Or, defeating British pair Moorhouse Lad and Borderlescott.
Overdose would not contest the rerun race. He had run so fast that he nearly broke the track record and to even think of repeating such an effort so soon would be detrimental to the welfare of the horse. The runner-up Moorhouse Lad may also have been flattened by eagerly contesting the first attempt at the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp.
Marchand d'Or is a high quality sprinter. But I wonder if he could have possibly caught the flying Hungarian Overdose?
Overdose is no thoroughbred horse oil painting. In the words of his trainer Sandor Ribarszki:
"He's short and I'd say kind of ugly, so of course nobody wanted him. I tried to talk Zoltan out of it, I mean he didn't even have a name, that shows nobody saw a lot in him."
"I just put my hand up for fun, I like the excitement of horse auctions. I thought no horse can go this cheap and surely somebody else would bid." -Zoltan Mikoczy, owner, retelling how he came to buy (by accident) Overdose at a Newmarket sale for £2,100.
"A horse like this comes around once a century; there hasn't been a horse [like this] in this part of Europe since Kincsem," - Zoltan Mikoczy.
Hungary's Kincsem, racing in the late 1870s, scored 54 straight victories and retired undefeated, making her one of Hungary's top sporting heroes. Her fame is enshrined in statues all over Europe.
"We can't let him go fast in training because he wants to run so hard, he'd drive himself into the ground, You can win once with luck but you can't win 10 straight races with luck. Overdose runs every race like it is the Olympic final," - Ribarszki.
"He'll put himself on the line every time. I have to whip others from time to time because they get lazy, but with Overdose I can't ease up a second because he'll take off." - Barbara Budinszki, who rides Overdose in training.
Although disappointed by the comic episode that unfolded on the greatest day of French racing, the people behind (the still unbeaten) Overdose are planning for the future. Firmly in their sights are the riches and prestige on offer at the Dubai World Cup meeting next March.
Here is a replay of Overdose winning the ‘false start’ Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp.
Watch this video of Overdose. He only knows one speed: flat out fast!
And here is the rerun won by Marchand d’Or:
Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp
The prestigious Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp is a Group 1 premier sprint (five furlongs) on the European racing calendar. To add flavour to the running this year a most unlikely new champion had emerged from the most unlikely of racing destinations - Hungary.
Overdose with track rider
Overdose is a flying machine who is undefeated in 10 career starts in Hungary and Germany. In August Overdose easily defeated some quality sprinters in a Group 2 race at Baden-Baden in Germany. The next stop was to be the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp.
As is his usual manner Overdose flew the barriers and was soon hurtling along the Longchamp turf and stringing out his rivals. He has won most of his races in the same manner - and his first 8 wins were by an aggregate of more than 84 lengths.
But unfortunately this time the farce was to be the false start caused when flashing lights and flagmen failed to stop Overdose (and a few others) after Fleeting Spirit was left stranded in her stall when it did not open. Some of the horses proved difficult to pull up - and Overdose impossible to do so (even if his jockey had wished).
The race was finally run five hours after the false start at 7pm, and was won by Marchand d'Or, defeating British pair Moorhouse Lad and Borderlescott.
Overdose would not contest the rerun race. He had run so fast that he nearly broke the track record and to even think of repeating such an effort so soon would be detrimental to the welfare of the horse. The runner-up Moorhouse Lad may also have been flattened by eagerly contesting the first attempt at the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp.
Marchand d'Or is a high quality sprinter. But I wonder if he could have possibly caught the flying Hungarian Overdose?
Overdose is no thoroughbred horse oil painting. In the words of his trainer Sandor Ribarszki:
"He's short and I'd say kind of ugly, so of course nobody wanted him. I tried to talk Zoltan out of it, I mean he didn't even have a name, that shows nobody saw a lot in him."
"I just put my hand up for fun, I like the excitement of horse auctions. I thought no horse can go this cheap and surely somebody else would bid." -Zoltan Mikoczy, owner, retelling how he came to buy (by accident) Overdose at a Newmarket sale for £2,100.
"A horse like this comes around once a century; there hasn't been a horse [like this] in this part of Europe since Kincsem," - Zoltan Mikoczy.
Hungary's Kincsem, racing in the late 1870s, scored 54 straight victories and retired undefeated, making her one of Hungary's top sporting heroes. Her fame is enshrined in statues all over Europe.
"We can't let him go fast in training because he wants to run so hard, he'd drive himself into the ground, You can win once with luck but you can't win 10 straight races with luck. Overdose runs every race like it is the Olympic final," - Ribarszki.
"He'll put himself on the line every time. I have to whip others from time to time because they get lazy, but with Overdose I can't ease up a second because he'll take off." - Barbara Budinszki, who rides Overdose in training.
Although disappointed by the comic episode that unfolded on the greatest day of French racing, the people behind (the still unbeaten) Overdose are planning for the future. Firmly in their sights are the riches and prestige on offer at the Dubai World Cup meeting next March.
Here is a replay of Overdose winning the ‘false start’ Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp.
Watch this video of Overdose. He only knows one speed: flat out fast!
And here is the rerun won by Marchand d’Or:
Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp
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