Hungary finds a new hero

A racehorse bought for nearly nothing has turned into a national hero in crisis-stricken Hungary. The thoroughbred known as Overdose won at Kincsem Park on Sunday to extend his record to 12 wins in 12 races, his jockey clad in the red, white and green of the Hungarian flag. As economic times have become tougher here, the four-year-old Overdose has become the Hungarian Seabiscuit, a symbol of hope for Americans during the Great Depression. “This horse has a mission here in Hungary,“ said Zoltan Mikoczy, Overdose’s owner. While Overdose’s fame is not as great as Seabiscuit’s, his success may be even more surprising. Mr. Mikoczy, 47, went to Newmarket, in Britain, with friends in 2006, after promising his wife that he would not buy another horse after purchasing four at a sale a month earlier. He put up his hand “just for fun“ when the bidding for Overdose was merely about 3,000 euro, never imagining that he would walk out with a thoroughbred for such a bargain basement price. Nor did anyone predict victories for the horse in Rome and Baden-Baden, Germany. Since Overdose’s victory streak began, Mr. Mikoczy said, he has been offered $6.5 million for the horse, but has refused to sell. Overdose has been called the Wunderpferd, or Miracle Horse, in Germany and the Budapest Bullet in Britain. A writer at Britain’s Racing Post recently raved that he “leaves the stalls with the overdrive already engaged.” He rode out Sunday with an honor guard of six flag-bearing riders dressed as Hussars, the famous Hungarian light cavalry, as tens of thousands screamed. The horse’s popularity has even attracted politicians. On Friday, Viktor Orban, chairman of the center-right Fidesz Party and a former prime minister who hopes to reclaim the job in next year’s election, turned up with a crowd of television cameras to pose with the star.