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racing news /
Budapest Bullet Heads to Haydock Park for Temple Stakes
05/05/11
Overdose, the superstar Hungarian sprinter, is all set to head to Haydock Park on Saturday, May 21, to contest the Group Two £80,000 Betfred.com Temple Stakes over five furlongs.
Nicknamed the “Budapest Bullet”, Overdose has won 15 of his 16 starts and made an impressive winning seasonal debut in a five-furlong conditions race at Hoppegarten, Germany, on April 17, breaking the track record.
The six-year-old Starborough horse is trained by Jozef Roszival and Miklos Katona, a spokesman for owner Zoltan Mikoczy, revealed today: “The plan is for Overdose to come to Haydock Park for the Temple Stakes.
“If all goes well, he will remain in Britain for the King’s Stand Stakes (June 14) at Royal Ascot.
“He came out of his run in Germany well. Everything is OK with him.
“He will hopefully travel over to Britain at the end of next week and we will be based at Amanda Perrett’s yard at Pulborough in Sussex.
“Earlier in his career, he raced mostly on faster ground and has also shown that he acts on softer ground, so whatever the going is at Haydock, it should be no problem for him.
“Andreas Suborics will ride once again. I will travel over with the horse along with his trainer. After his run at Haydock, he will return to Pulborough and stay there before Royal Ascot.”
Overdose, bred in Britain and sold for only 2,000 guineas (a guinea is worth £1.05) at Tattersalls Sales in Newmarket in 2006, will be making his debut on a British racecourse in the Betfred.com Temple Stakes.
He is the best horse to come out of Hungary for many years and had been due to run in the Temple Stakes at Haydock Park two years ago when unbeaten in 12 starts after victories in Hungary, Italy, Austria, Slovakia and Germany.
However, injury intervened and Overdose was out of action for 15 months. Since returning to racing in July last year, the horse has won three of his four outings, with the only defeat of his illustrious career coming at the German course of Baden-Baden last year in a Group Two event over six furlongs on soft ground at the end of August.
Overdose was denied what should have been his biggest victory after “winning” by four lengths the Group One Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp, France, in October, 2008.
The five-furlong event was declared void after one of the stalls failed to open. The contest was re-run at the end of the card without Overdose taking part after connections felt it would be unfair for him to be asked to race twice in a day.
A total of 33 horses have been entered for the 2011 Betfred.com Temple Stakes. Overdose could face some smart opponents, including Markab, successful at Haydock Park last season in the Group One Betfred Sprint Cup over a furlong further. The length and a quarter runner-up that day was fellow Betfred.com Temple Stakes entrant Lady Of The Desert, who went on to take the runner-up spot in the Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp.
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Last year’s Betfred.com Temple Stakes was won by the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Kingsgate Native and the six-year-old, a dual Group One winner in his younger days, is entered again along with the 2010 Group One Nunthorpe Stakes scorer Sole Power, one of three Irish-trained entries. Sole Power dead-heated for third with Jonny Mudball behind Tangerine Trees and Rain Delayed in the Group Three Palace House Stakes at Newmarket on April 30. Nine-year-old Borderlescott has won two Nunthorpe Stakes, in 2008 at Newmarket and the following year at York.
The Betfred.com Temple Stakes is the first sprint of the new QIPCO British Champions Series this year.
Dickon White, managing director of Haydock Park Racecourse, commented: “We are thrilled that Overdose has been entered in the Betfred.com Temple Stakes and look forward to welcoming his connections to Haydock Park on May 21.
“With proven Group One performers such as Markab, Borderlescott, Lady Of The Desert and last year’s winner Kingsgate Native among the entries, we are set for a cracking race which should provide a great start for the sprinters in the QIPCO British Champions Series.”
