Trotting New Year’s Eve ’24 in Budapest

One of my favorite horse-centric harness racing events occurs again New Years Eve at Kincsem Park Budapast, Hungary.

A 10-race trotting card, pony and greyhound racing and even a monte trotting event occurs starting at 13:00 local time. A wide range of music, entertainment, food, beverage and fireworks jointly entertain for about 10,000 fans at the historic racecourse.

The racecard has 10 trotting sulky events and one monte trot. The feature trot is the Tippmix Lveregyleti DIJ (2,000,000Huf purse, 1960 meters distance handicap, eight starters) with a fine field including Baka Handicap winner Acelos Fiu (8m SJs Photo) and the handicapped Cardenas Baba (6f From Above), Palace Bo (5m Muscle Hill) and Zacapa US (7g Father Patrick).

For information at the site of Kincsem Park, click here.

To view the race card, click here.

The aforementioned Baka Handicap took place earlier this month and is a favorite marathon trotting event. The Baka Handicap (purse 1,100,000Huf, 4200 meters distance handicap, five starters ages 3-15) went to 120 meter handicapped Acelos Fiu (8m SJs Photo-Elegant Lady-Mill H) timed in 1.22.5kr over his 4320 meter handicapped (2.7 miles) distance.

Balazs Juhasz teamed and trains the 17-time winner in 87 career starts, sired by the legendary SJs Photo that David Wade raced successfully in the US and Europe. The Kabala Menes Kft bred performer was off the 1.9/1 favorite and defeated 7.7/1 Aaron LV (3m Civil Action-Aria Cup-Ready Cash) driven by Laszlo Kolozsi who trains this Romania bred colt. The 15-year-old veteran Philadelphia (15g Detroit-Gertrud-Rendfonok) set the pace and held third at 5.6/1 with Lajos Marton driving for Aquadrom and trainer Gabor Reischl.

On that card was also the Laszlo Nagy Memorial (purse 700,000Huf, 1800 meters autostart, nine starters) the 11.9/1 odds Dolomit Boy (5m Maximus Lindy-Titan Lady-Ata Star L) scored in 1.18.3kr with Lajos Marton aboard for Prolongo III and trainer Bernadett Balogh.

Other winners of note were 1.8/1 Aurora (8f Frullino Jet-Lezer-Baltic Bet) in the Gyongye Alfold for five-year-olds (500,000Huf purse, 1800 meters autostart). Aurora scored in 1.18.9kr driven by our friend and a fine horseman Gyorgy Horvath who has driven in the US along with his spouse Andrea Fazekas, a winner at Pompano Park, who is a leading European amateur driver.

Also on that card was the Karai Trans DIJA (500,000Huf purse, 1900 meters autostart) where 1.8/1 Face To Face (3m Nuncio-Salome’Bar) scored in 1.18.7kr. Imre Fazekas reined the Bernadett Balogh trainee for Prolongo Import-Export Kft. Watch for Face To Face to have a solid future racing career.

Kincsem Park, Ugeto’s Karoj Kotun files/photos

by Thomas H. Hicks, for Harnesslink