Alla Polzunova, 84, passes

Alla Polzunova, a legendary Russian driver, teacher, communicator, and builder in the sport of harness racing has passed away.

Childhood and youth

Alla Polzunova was born on April 12, 1937 in the family of a journalist. Her childhood was spent in Abakan, where her mother taught at the Abakan Pedagogical School. In 1953, Polzunova entered the Moscow Agricultural Academy. K. A. Timiryazeva. After graduation, she came to work at the Central Moscow Hippodrome (TsMI). She worked in the departments of wonderful drivers A.F. Shcheltsyn, and then P.A.Lytkin.

Master driver

A.M. Polzunova began to act as a driver in 1956. Over the years of work as a driver, Alla Mikhailovna was able to reach great heights. She became a master driver, won the Grand All-Union Four-Year Prize (Derby) in 1972 with the mare Gugenotka, four times the Peace Prize in 1975-1977, and 1979 with the mare Gliciniya, twice the Elite Prize in 1973 with the mare Gugenotka, in 1978 with the mare Gliciniya, the “USSR Prize” with the mare Gliciniya in 1978 and a number of other prestigious prizes.

The record set by her in the Time Trial race at a distance of 1600 meters with an older mare Gliciniya in 1978 (2.00.7) stood for 36 years and was broken only in 2014. In her hands, two stallions entered the class of 2:00.0 – Ideal (1:58.8) and Vlastny (1:58.7). The total number of her victories exceeded 900. She raced at the hippodromes of the Soviet Union, Finland, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and the USA.

Study and teaching

Since 1969, Alla Mikhailovna has been combining work at the Center for Medical Research with studies in extramural postgraduate studies at the All-Russian Research Institute of Horse Breeding and with the study of the higher nervous activity of trotters. She co-authored the now classic “Training and Testing of Trotters”, together with the prominent specialist GG Carlsen and a group of other authors. Then he defended his thesis and became a candidate of agricultural sciences. Since 1972, another facet of Alla Mikhailovna’s talent has been revealed. She becomes a teacher at the branch of the Khrenovskaya school of drivers at the YSMI, and has been teaching to this day. Many of her students became prominent drivers of the CMI and at other hippodromes and stud farms.

Social activity

While still an active driver, A. M. Polzunova began to carry out a large social work. In 1974, with her direct participation, the Club of trotting fans was organized at the CMI, which was later transformed into the Club of amateur drivers. In 1991, she became one of the organizers of the Association of Trotting Horse Breeding “Sodruzhestvo”, which she headed in 2003. The role of this Association in preserving the most famous breed in Russia – the Orlov trotter, and in the revival of the Russian troika – the real symbol of Russia, is great.

A. M. Polzunova is an excellent commentator of trotting competitions. Thanks to her professional comments, thousands of spectators at the country’s racetracks got acquainted with the basics of trotting trials and with the competitions of Russian triplets. Millions of TV viewers listened to her comments in the program “Running and Racing” on Channel 7 TV. Now A. M. Polzunova works as vice-president of the Association “Commonwealth of Trotting Horse Breeding of Russia”, is the editor-in-chief of the professional magazine “Begovye Vedomosti”, commentator on the channel “Horse World TV”

International activity

Separately, it should be said about the role of Alla Mikhailovna in the establishment of international relations. In 1988, at the invitation of the American driver Delvin Miller, she visited the United States, and this trip contributed to the establishment of international contacts between our horsemen. She is known, loved and appreciated in the equestrian world, she is consulted, she is trusted. American colleagues gave her a stallion Amberjack Rana, the latter has established itself as an excellent producer (father of the record holder Aphrodite).

In 1991, A. M. Polzunova participated in the World Trotting Conference in New Zealand, after which the horsemen of the USSR created the Association of Trotting Horse Breeding “Sodruzhestvo” and unanimously elected A. M. Polzunova vice-president of the association. Largely thanks to her, after a few years Russia became a member of the European Trotting Union (UET) and the World Trotting Association (ITA). Alla Mikhailovna herself was elected an honorary member of the ITA.

We express our condolences to her family. RIP Alla, a great champion of trotting worldwide.

Thomas H. Hicks and Karoj Kotun (translated from Russian Association release)