Overdose
Overdose, with Christophe Soumillon up, winning the OTP-Hungária Cup
SireStarborough
GrandsireSoviet Star (USA)
DamOur Poppet (IRE)
DamsireWarning
SexStallion
Foaled2005
CountryGreat Britain
ColourBay
BreederG. and Mrs Robinson
OwnerZoltán Mikóczy
MIKO Racing and Trading Ltd
TrainerJózsef Roszival
Sándor Ribárszki
Record19 starts: 16-0-1
Earnings£151,311
Last updated on 30 August 2010

Overdose (2 April 2005 in Nottinghamshire, Great Britain – 1 July 2015 in Germany) was a Hungarian Thoroughbred racehorse. During his career he was victorious in sixteen of his nineteen races.

Overdose in Budapest 2008 Foto:Judit Seipert

Breeding

Overdose was English-bred and was sold at Tattersalls December Yearling Sales in November 2006 for just 2,000 guineas (£2,100). His sire was a miler called Starborough and he was out of Our Poppet (IRE) by Warning. He was a half-brother of three winners.[1]

His owner, Zoltán Mikóczy purchased Overdose only by chance and has been quoted as saying "I just put my hand up for fun, I like excitement of the horse auctions. I thought no horse can go this cheap and surely somebody else would bid. He's short and I'd say kind of ugly, so of course nobody wanted him."[2]

Racing career

Overdose had an unbeaten series of 14 races. In these races he won with a total of 116,5 lengths, which means 8,3 lengths per race in average.

He ran a new track record at his home track (Kincsem Park, Budapest, Hungary), for his first ever race (in which he was victorious with 18 lengths).[3]

In 2008 he was named Wunderpferd (wonderhorse) in Germany, for winning German sprint races – including the Group 2 Goldene Peitsche – in such a dominant style.[4]

He won a Group I race at Longchamp, but the race was declared void due to a non-opening gate. His time was only 0,1 second behind the track record of Habibti. He did not participate in the re-run at the end of the day, since his unbeaten record was at risk. Only a month later Overdose won a Group III race in Rome, with a dominating 10 lengths.

In the 2008 world thoroughbred rankings Overdose was among the top sprinters (4th at Timeform with a rating of 126, and 6th at IFHA with 120), despite he did not win a Group I race (at least not officially).[5]

In 2009 Christophe Soumillon volunteered to ride the horse. After his year opening race at Kincsem Park, Budapest, Overdose was called the Budapest Bullet in Britain, and appeared on the cover of the New York Times, which named him the "Hungarian Seabiscuit".[6]

In mid-2009 one of his hooves became inflamed, which resulted in laminitis. This put the horse's whole career in danger. His recovery lasted for 15 months. Overdose returned in July 2010, with two victories in Bratislava and Budapest, growing his unbeaten record to 14 races.

Overdose lost his unbeaten record in his 15th race under disputed circumstances. In Germany, Baden-Baden, the starter waited eight minutes to get him into the startbox. During this time his rider Christophe Soumillon fell from his saddle thrice.[7] This "procedure" resulted in a hopeless race for him. Although he led to 1000 meters, Overdose lost too much power when entering the startbox, therefore he was unable to keep the pace in the last furlong, and finished only seventh. Professionals says that the German starter was under great pressure, since Overdose's comeback was in the centre of the communication of the racetrack's actual festival (the Große Woche), and the stands were full, since everybody was keen to see Overdose. After this race the horse has suffered another, but minor injury, which resulted in the miss of the remaining of the season.

In 2011 he started the season in Berlin, Germany, with a dominating victory, and ran a new track record. This was the season-opening raceday of the track, and there was a full house.[8] After this great result Overdose was the favourite of all British bookmakers for both of his forthcoming races in the United Kingdom; the Temple Stakes and the King's Stand Stakes.[9][10]

On the day of his long waited first race in Britain, Overdose appeared on the cover of four newspapers. Second time on Racing Post's cover that week (the first occasion has been his arrival to Britain). He was in the centre of the television broadcast as well. Unfortunately Overdose's travel took three days from Hungary to Britain, and the five days he spent in Britain before the race was not enough to regenerate. Maybe this was the reason why Overdose only placed seventh by four lengths behind the winner in the Group II Temple Stakes.[11] But the team knew, there is more in him, therefore they have stayed in Britain, to prepare him for the Royal Ascot. After the Haydock race Overdose was able to regenerate during the remaining three weeks to his Royal Ascot race. He was not a favourite anymore. He started in the Group I King's Stand Stakes on the lead, and ran head to head with the Hong Kong superstar Sweet Sanette in the forthcoming furlongs. In the end Overdose finished fourth, only a length away from the winner, and a neck away from Sweet Sanette. The remaining horses were more than two lengths away from the winning four.[12] After the race the officials of the Ascot Racecourse said that they had never seen a horse performing in such a high level after suffering laminitis.[13]

Another minor injury resulted in the horse's missing of almost all races of the autumn season, and Overdose was able to race again in November only; the second time in Rome, and for the first time with Frankie Dettori. This time Overdose won with only a half length, but he was spared, Dettori did not ask for more from him.

In February 2012, Overdose suffered a serious injury at Meydan Racecourse, in the very beginning of the 2012 Dubai Racing Carnival.

Jockeys

Race record

ResultDateRaceVenueGroupDistanceWeightJockeyTimeWinner/2ndMargin
Won2 June 20072yo – cat. IV.Hungary Kincsem Park, BudapestNA1000 m58.0 kgMartin Srnec0:58.02nd: Femme Fatale18
Won22 July 2007Cena Muscatita – cat. I.Slovakia Závodisko, BratislavaNA1200 m58.0 kgMartin Srnec1:12.022nd: Addison6
Won9 September 2007Graf N. Esterhazy Mem.Austria Freudenau, ViennaLR1200 m61.0 kgPiotr Krowicki1:11.42nd: Ceodora13
Won30 September 2007Szent László DíjHungary Kincsem Park, BudapestGr21400 m57.0 kgMartin Srnec1:23.62nd: Over Play16
Won21 October 2007CE Challenge Cup Fut.Austria Magna Racino, EbreichsdorfGr11300 m57.0 kgZdenko Smida1:18.22nd: Over Play8
Won6 April 2008Preis vom Marchfeld – cat. I.Austria Magna Racino, EbreichsdorfNA1100 m55.0 kgPiotr Krowicki1:04.62nd: Special Key6
Won18 May 2008Lanson CupGermany Baden-Baden, IffezheimLR1200 m58.0 kgPiotr Krowicki1:08.922nd: Laokoon9
Won1 June 2008Cena Min. Pod. Slov. Rep.Slovakia Závodisko, BratislavaGr31200 m57.0 kgPiotr Krowicki1:10.092nd: Városbíró8
Won5 July 2008Hamburg TrophyGermany Hamburg-HornG31200 m54.5 kgAndreas Suborics1:12.192nd: Abbadjinn1.5
Won31 August 2008138. Goldene PeischeGermany Baden-Baden, IffezheimG21200 m56.0 kgAndreas Suborics1:08.212nd: Abbadjinn2.5
-5 October 2008Prix de l'Abbaye – VOID RACEFrance Longchamp, ParisG11000 m62.0 kgAndreas Suborics0:54.42nd: Strike Up The Band4.25
Won16 November 2008Premio C. e F. AloisiItaly Capannelle, RomeG31200 m64.5 kgAndreas Suborics1:10.02nd: Black Mambazo10
Won19 April 2009OTP-Hungária NagydíjHungary Kincsem Park, BudapestGr11000 m62.0 kgChristophe Soumillon0:54.62nd: Spinning Crystal8
Won18 July 2010Cena MysaSlovakia Závodisko, BratislavaLR1000 m59.0 kgGary Hind1:00.772nd: Boschka0.5
Won15 August 2010Pannónia Életbiztosító DíjHungary Kincsem Park, BudapestLR1000 m59.0 kgGary Hind0:56.42nd: Spinning Crystal10
7th29 August 2010140. Goldene PeitscheGermany Baden-Baden, IffezheimG21200 m59.0 kgChristophe Soumillon1:11.38Winner: Amico Fritz-5.25
Won17 April 2011Hoppegartener FliegerpreisGermany Hoppegarten, BerlinNA1000 m59.0 kgAndreas Suborics0:57.12nd: Shot To Nothing6
7th21 May 2011Temple StakesUnited Kingdom Haydock ParkG21000 m59.0 kgAndreas Suborics0:57.67Winner: Sole Power-4
4th14 June 2011King's Stand StakesUnited Kingdom Ascot RacecourseG11000 m59.0 kgAndreas Suborics0:59.50Winner: Prohibit-1.25
Won13 November 2011Premio C. e F. AloisiItaly Capannelle, RomeG31200 m61.0 kgFrankie Dettori1:08.402nd: Dagda Mor0.5

Overdose suffered a serious injury at Meydan Racecourse, just before the beginning of the 2012 Dubai Racing Carnival. After that he was retired from racing and was available at Bábolna-Dióspuszta Stud in Hungary in 2014 first, then in 2015 at Vollblutgestüt Lindenhof in Germany.

(Note, that G1, G2 and G3 means internationally recognized Group 1, Group 2 and Group 3 races, while Gr1, Gr2 and Gr3 means Grade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 3 races, recognized in Hungary, Slovakia and Austria.)

See also

References

  1. Horse Overdose Racing Post
  2. The ugly misfit nobody wanted could be fastest horse in Europe, The Scotsman, 1 October 2008
  3. Official race result, PannoniaOverdose.hu
  4. Overdose ist definitiv ein Wunderpferd, horseracing.ch, 15 May 2008
  5. World Thoroughbred Rankings – 2008, PannoniaOverdose.hu
  6. Hungary's Spirits Are Back Up, on a Horse, The New York Times, 19 April 2009
  7. The eight minutes start misery in Baden-Baden, Video on YouTube (watch the second gate from the left), 29 August 2010
  8. Overdose regains top form, sets record at Hoppegarten, Thoroughbred Times, 17 April 2011
  9. Overdose favorite for British debut in Temple Stakes, Thoroughbred Times, 16 May 2011
  10. Overdose 8-1 favourite for King's Stand Stakes, Racing Post, 21 April 2011
  11. Diary of Overdose's British races, PannoniaOverdose.hu, 15–20 May 2011
  12. Results of King's Stand Stakes – 2011, Racing Post
  13. Overdose's comeback to the sprinter elite, PannoniaOverdose.hu – 14 June 2011

Pedigree

Pedigree of Overdose (GB), B. h. 2005
Sire
Starborough (GB)
Ch. 1994
Soviet Star (USA)
Bay 1984
Nureyev Northern Dancer
Special
Veruschka Venchi
Marie d'Anjou
Flamenco Wave (USA)
Ch. 1986
Desert Wine Damascus
Anne Campbell
Armada Way Sadair
Hurry Call
Dam
Our Poppet (IRE)
Bay 1997
Warning
Br. 1985
Known Fact In Reality
Tamerett
Slightly Dangerous Roberto
Where You Read
Upend
Bay 1985
Main Reef Mill Reef
Lovely Light
Gay Charlotte Charlottown
Merry Mate (Family No. 7-a)
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