Overdose Passes Bratislava Race Test

After 15 months out of action and in front of a bumper crowd at Bratislava racecourse in Slovakia, Hungarian sprint sensation Overdose made a winning return to the fray when landing a listed race over five furlongs on Sunday, writes Elliot Slater.

Much to the relief of his many Irish Racing fans, including an estimated 1000 members of the official Overdose International Fan Club who had journeyed to see their hero from as many as 20 different countries, Zoltan Mikoczy’s son of the late stallion Starborough took his unbeaten sequence to 13 with a half-length victory over local horse Boschka, prompting all concerned with the near legendary sprinter to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

It’s been a long road back for the five-year-old who ‘won’ the group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp, only for the race to be voided due to problems at the start. After winning in Hungary last April Overdose sustained a serious hoof injury which threatened to end his career, but after a long spell on the sidelines he appears on the road back to his best. Although winning jockey Gary Hind observed that the horse had needed the run and was getting tired in the closing stages of this weekend’s contest, connections stressed that the race had been seen from the start as no more than a stepping stone to more significant targets later this season.

Plans to go next to York for the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes next month appear to have been shelved for the time being, with Mikoczy feeling his star needs more time to reach peak fitness, Sights are now set on a return visit to Paris in October for Europe’s premier five furlong Group1 sprint, after which plans remain fluid.

Who knows, maybe the Hungarian could be flying high at Churchill Downs after the Breeders’ Cup Sprint?