page_title: Kincsem
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Kincsem / Background
caption_attribution_description: Magyar: Kincsem a magyar csodakanca legkedvesebb társa egy fekete-fehér nőstény macska volt, amely minden versenyére elkísérte a híres versenylovat. Legendák keringtek arról, hogy milyen kétségbeesetten kereste Kincsem egész istállószemélyzete a boulogne-i kikötőben az elkóborolt macskát.
context_page_description: Kincsem was a Thoroughbred race horse who has the most wins of any unbeaten horse in the history of the sport, having won 54 races from 54 starts. The next closest such record belongs to Black Caviar, with an unbeaten record of 25 wins from 25 starts. Foaled in Kisbér, Hungary in 1874, Kincsem is a national icon, and is highly regarded in other parts of the world too. Over four seasons she won against both female and male company at various race tracks across Europe, including Classic race wins in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and major stakes victories in Germany, France and England. As a broodmare, she has proved a lasting influence on the breed, with modern descendants including English Classic winners Polygamy and Camelot.
context_section_description: Kincsem was bred at the stud of Ernő Blaskovich at Tápiószentmárton, in The Hungarian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Her sire, Cambuscan, was bred by Queen Victoria and went on to win the July Stakes and place in the St. Leger Stakes in 1864. He was sold to Hungarian interests and was brought to stand at the Hungarian National Stud in the Kisbér District in 1873. Cambuscan was by Newminster, while his dam, The Arrow, was by Slane. Kincsem was out of the Hungarian mare Waternymph, a daughter of the English horse Cotswold. Kincsem's third dam, Seaweed was also by Slane, making Kincsem inbred to him in the third and fourth generations (3x4).
  At that time, there were thieves in Hungary called betyars who stole cattle and horses. One night they tried to steal horses from an open summer stable of Blaskovich, that had only a crossbar through the door. They made a noise, so stable staff chased them away and the horses, including Waternymph, were saved. This legend was later distorted and attributed to Kincsem, who in the new version was allegedly stolen by wandering Gypsies and later returned to the owner.
  Kincsem was once offered for sale as part of a package deal with six other yearlings for £700. However, she and one other filly were rejected by the buyer, Baron Alex Orczy, who felt they were of inferior quality. Kincsem thus raced for Blaskovich as a homebred. She was trained by Englishman Robert Hesp and ridden in most of her starts by Englishman Elijah Madden.
  Kincsem was a liver chestnut without any white markings who stood 16.1 hands (65 inches, 165 cm) high at maturity. Despite Kincsem's talent, she was faulted throughout her racing career for her plain looks and lengthy frame. B.K. Beckwith, author of Step and Go Together, wrote, "She was as long as a boat and as lean as a hungry leopard ... she had a U-neck and mule ears ... she was lazy, gangly, shiftless ... she was a daisy-eating, scenery-loving, sleepy-eyed and slightly pot-bellied hussy." This contradicts her description in horseracing newspaper Sportblatt from 8 April 1876: "The chestnut mare by Cambuscan from the Waternymph looks most like a racehorse. She 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. We think we are not mistaken in expressing the view that it is destined to play an excellent role on the racetrack."
  Kincsem was noted for her quirky personality, though some details may have become exaggerated over time. For example, a legend claims that she always traveled with a cat and might not move if separated from it. A painting shows her with a cat that some sources name Csalogány (nightingale). According to many articles of Sportblatt she traveled with a horse named Csalogany, belonging to Miklós Blaskovich, brother to Kincsem's owner. Kincsem was devoted to her groom, who traveled with her everywhere and was subsequently known as Frankie Kincsem. Her hay and grain came from her owner's stud farm (then an unusual decision), and she refused to eat anything else. She was also particular about the quality of the water she drank. On one occasion at Baden-Baden, the water ran out and she refused to drink for two days until a suitable substitute was found at what was subsequently known as Kincsem's Well.
caption: Kincsem with cat and either her trainer Robert Hesp or groom Frankie Kincsem
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "200", "Image YResolution": "200", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "GIMP 2.8.18", "Image DateTime": "2017:04:04 12:21:48", "Image ExifOffset": "2218", "Image Padding": "[]", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "96", "Thumbnail YResolution": "96", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "4514", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "7867", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0210", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2017:04:04 12:18:16", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2017:04:04 12:18:16", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "00", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "00", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF Padding": "[]"}