Bel Esprit- Song of the Sun Filly had her first sprint session on Saturday morning at Cranbourne, stopping the clock for her last 400 metres in 25 seconds. She will gallop again this Saturday morning and keep building momentum from here on. She is enjoying barrier practice on alternate days and is very well in herself. She looks great and continues to please.

Just as Takeover Target, at age nine, has reached new heights with his dominant win in the Group 1 T.J. Smith (WFA 1200m) last Saturday at Randwick, in Europe another horse has built an incredible cult following – the suitably intoxicating Overdose.

Overdose is not from the stables of Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin, nor is he one of the Irish stars from Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle. This unheralded star, unbeaten in 12 starts, is from Hungary, and he’s about to take on the world – and the world can’t wait.

He has been labelled the “Budapest Bullet” and the Bullet has “The Target” in his sights at Royal Ascot in June.

The English-bred galloper is the best thing to come out of Hungary since goulash. One Hungarian scribe recently said the galloper was the “greatest sporting person in Hungary, except he is a horse”.

Overdose cost only 2000 guineas as a small, insignificant yearling at the 2006 Tattersalls December Sales – after owner Zoltan Micocski, a Hungarian who lives in nearby Slovakia, defied his wife’s demand that he not buy another horse.

Last week, Overdose sent Hungary – racing and non-racing fans – into a frenzy when he won the Hungarian Nagydij (Grand Prix) over 1000m at Kincsem Park racetrack. Normally, only 1000 hardened race-goers attend the meeting, but this time more than 20,000 crammed in to see the local champion. It is believed more than three million cash-strapped Hungarians watched the race on TV. Kinscem Park has been facing bankruptcy, but a dose of Overdose looks like it has saved the track for the time being.                                                                                                                    

The horse has been labelled as Hungary’s version of Seabiscuit, as he lives the dream of a society in the depths of financial crisis. He now races in the colours of the Hungarian flag – red, white and green.

Overdose, trained by Sandor Ribarszki, first made a name for himself winning races around the backwater tracks of Europe. He burst on the international scene in August 2008 when he won the Group 2 Goldene Petsche (1200m) in Germany.

Ribarszki then took the horse to France for the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye (1200m, Longchamp) in October and the unheralded Hungarian galloper trounced a quality field in near record time with a scintillating display of speed. The joy of the Hungarians turned to despair when the race was declared void after one of the barrier stalls didn’t open. Ribarszki refused to take part in the re-run – won by local star Marchand D’Or – when it was held after the last race.

Overdose made his way to Italy for a compensation win in the Group 3 Premio Carlo E Francesco Aloise (1200m) at Capannelle, running 1.10 flat on a heavy track.

 The speedster is to have his first run in England in the Group 3 Temple Stakes (1200m) at Haydock on May 23.

The Haydock clerk of the course Kirkland Tellwright – yes, that’s his name – was in Hungary to witness Overdose’s first-up win. “It was truly unbelievable – just like Seabiscuit,” he said. “This horse has the potential to be a world-beater.”

Star French rider Christophe Soumillon had his first ride on Overdose at Kincsem Park. He will partner the 4YO in an ambition international campaign that could see the horse in Australian in November.

Racing Victoria’s international operations manager Leigh Jordon is chasing Overdose for the Group 1 Patinack Classic (1200m) at Flemington in November. The race is the ideal lead into the Hong Kong International Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin in December. This is on Overdose’s agenda, but the lure of the Breeders’ Cup meeting (at Santa Anita) in North America, run late in October, could be a stumbling block.

After Haydock, Overdose will run in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes (1000m) at Royal Ascot – when he will clash with Scenic Blast – and then the Group 1 Golden Jubilee (1200m) four days later, and a clash with Takeover Target. He will next run in the Group 1 July Cup (1200m) at Newmarket before returning to Germany for his second Goldene Petsche followed by another tilt at the Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp.

Overdose has an interesting pedigree. He is by the Soviet Star horse Starborough (winner of the Group 1 St James Palace Stakes (1600m) at Royal Ascot) from the Warning mare Miss Poppet. Soviet Star is best known in Australia as the sire of champion galloper Starcraft.

To read the New York Times’ fascinating story of Overdose, CLICK HERE

WE SAW IT

Each time he appears on the track, Takeover Target adds another remarkable chapter to one of the great stories of the Australian turf, and his latest age-defying sprint gives hope to veterans everywhere.

The development of the $1250 ($1375 with GST) cast-off as a racehorse and as a ‘mate’ of Joe Janiak, the battling trainer-owner, has been amazing, and Takeover Target (B g 9, Celtic Swing (GB)-Shady Stream, by Archregent (CAN)) is a book and a movie in the making.

After the win in the $500,000 Group 1 T.J. Smith Stakes, racing’s extraordinary ambassador Gai Waterhouse (daughter of the late Tommy Smith and Sydney’s top trainer) raised Janiak’s arm at the presentation and said, “Well done, what a sensational trainer.”

This was one of Takeover Targets easiest wins – he has six Group 1s among 20 wins from 38 starts and has earned $5.8 million – and the rising 10-year-old did it arrogantly at both ends of the 1200m race, crossing from the outside barrier (6) to lead, then kicking clear in the straight.

He ran the 1200 in 1.09.09 on a dead track, breaking the long-standing track record (1:09.19) set in 1997 by Mahogany (br g 1990, Last Tycoon (IRE)-Alshandegha (USA), by Alydar (USA)).

Caller Mark Shean, usually low-key, raised his voice octaves to say of TT, “Nine years of age and he prances it in by three.”

Jockey Nash Rawiller, having his first ride on the horse at the expense of lightweight Jay Ford, said the old horse was a 200/1 chance on his scratchy warmup until he saw the gates and went to threes-on. Thrirn