Fazekas drives both co-feature winners at Kincsem Park

It was quite a racing day (Aug. 20) for harness racing driver Imre Fazekas as he teamed winner of the co-featured events at Kincsem Park (Budapest).

In the Szent Istvan DIJ (purse 3,000,000HUF or 7,638€, 1960 meters distance handicap, six starters) the HU Derby winner Enjoy (4m Maharajah-Journey Boko-Zola Boko) scored again this time at 1.5/1 odds, the favorite, clocked in 1.14.6kr and overcoming a 40-meter handicap. Imre Fazekas reined the winner for Prolong III and trainer Bernadett Balogh.

This was Fazekas’ 19^th driving victory this year in 62 starts and Enjoy has four wins in five ’24 outings. He is eight for 14 lifetime.

Freya T Boko (3f Campo Bahia-Jasmine F Boko-Trixton) was second at 3.8/1 odds with Sandor Kolozsi aboard for trainer Adrian Burany. Third after leading robustly was 7.9/1 Friday Night (3m Tuonoblu Rex-Sultana Jey-Igor Font) with Thorsten Tietz aboard the Robert Granuller trainee that was bred by Gyorgy Horvath. Bonaparte Boss was fourth at 3.1/1 after a 60-meter handicap.

Fazekas was back a winner with his trainee Ginevra (2f Owen CR-Nana-Tony Oaks) in the Szalay Janos Memorial (purse 2,000,000HUf or 5,092€, 1800 meters autostart, five entrants). She rallied off cover to score narrowly in her first start timed in 1.22.8kr.

The speed mark for this race is 1.19.3kr set in 2023 by Fabrice with Enjoy the 2022 winner and Csak a szel (from Nana) the 2020 winner. The dam Nana was a superb juvenille filly by the well-bred Tony Oaks (1993, Supergill-High Noon Tea-Speedy Crown), he won six of only 12 starts in the USA with a 3,1:55.1 mark.

During the program the Minister of Defense of Hungary, Kristof Szalay-Bobbrovniczky, presented Imre Fazekas with the Hungarian Bronze Cross for unparalleled achievements for his successful activities and as a significant representative of the sport.

The Fazekas family was also honored when Andrea Fazekas won an Amateur Test at Mikkeli Finland with 10.6/1 odds Thinkin Pink from post eight timed in 1.17.4kr. John Calabrese of USA was ninth.

In the other event the 4.2/1 Franz Jager scored in 1.15.3kr for driver Martin Andreasen. Fezekas was eighth and Calabrese was second with his mount. I have fond memories of Andrea winning a Driving Club Amateur at Pompano Park some years ago and escorting she and husband Gyorgy Horvath to Sunshine Meadows.

Kincsem Park, Ugeto.com, Mikkeli Hippodrome, Veikkaus

by Thomas H. Hicks, for Harnesslink