Janos Brody Memorial to Cardenas Baba

The annual classic Janos Brody Memorial (purse 1,500,000Huf, 1960 meters distance handicap, six starters) was raced Saturday (March 16) at Kincsem Park (Budapest) with the 1.16.6kr timed harness racing victory to 2.6/1 odds Cardenas Baba (6f From Above-Ulan Bator Baba-Love You) that overcame a 20-meter handicap.

Goran Zolnaji drove and trains the winner that scored in her first 2024 start. She has six wins in 13 starts in Hungary.

Charming Boy (6m Zola Boko) was second at 3,3/1 for trainer/driver Tibor Hajnal. Finishing third was 6.3/1 odds Guiness des Fane (8f Quaro) with trainer Laszlo Koloszi aboard and 6.3/1 Bobby Fischer (7g Miguel Duhamel) was fourth with Gyorgy Horvath at the lines.

Last year Unno del Duomo won this event timed in 1.18.8 and in 2016 Wiss Shadow set the race record a 1.15.3kr victory.

In the Alexander Brody Memorial (purse 600,000, 1800 meters autostart, 12 starters) the 4.7/1 odds and 1.17.5kr clocked winner was Balerina R (7f SJ’s Photo-Campala RAL-Toss Out) that Prolongo III owns, and Bernadette Balogh drove and trains.

This was her first win in four 2024 outings. She won in a close photo over a pack of trotters including second finishing 4.7/1 Chip Chip Chip (6m Uclipse Boko-Monica Sisu-From Above) handled by Lajos Bordacs. Third was 4.9/1 Charlie’s World (6g Racino) with Peter Erdei driving.

In the Tavaszi Handicap (purse 1,100,000€, 1960 meters distance handicap, six starters) the 1.6/1 odds favorite Zsola (9f Frullino Jet-Domusa MP-Lemon Dra) scored comfortably timed in 1.18.8kr driven by Marko Slavic for trainer Pal Vicen, her first 2024 victory in two starts.

Andy Baby (8f Smok’n Lantern) was second with trainer Laszlo Kolozsi aboard. Zizitop (9m Majesty Of Race) was third at 6.8/1 with trainer Goran Zolnaji driving. The race record for the Tavaszi was set in 2014 by Magic Diamond Way in 1.18.5kr. Last year Farya BD was a 1.19.5kt winner.

In separate news, Claes L Ljung, the president of FEGAT passed away March 15 at age 78. He became President of FEGAT (Federation European Gentleman Amateur Trotting Drivers) in 1993 and in 2016 was at Pompano Park (USA) for an International Driver’s Contest. He was a great man and helped amateur racing in many European countries such as Hungary, that joined FEGAT in 1986. RIP Mr. Ljung.

Fittingly there were a pair of Amateur trots on the Kincsem Park card. The Magyar Amateur Handicap went to 2.1/1 Villeneuve (19g Pilgrims Taj) with Eszter Cseperke Takacs drivinf timed in 1.18.5kr over the 2500 meter autostart course. The Magyar Amateur DIJ went to 1.17.4kr timed Diama Gull (5f Maximus Lindy) driven by Tamas Tanczer that was off at 16.8/1 odds.

Kincsem Park, Ugeto, FEGAT files/photos-harness trots

by Thomas H. Hicks, for Harnesslink