Prince Batthyány (1803-1883) was a member of a noble Hungarian family whose ancestry can be traced back to the year 896.
The Hungarian people were second-class subjects of the Austrian Empire and he may have preferred the freedom of English high society. Gustzáv, 5th Prince Batthyány-Strattmann, or Gustavus to his friends, had emigrated here with his wife and family by 1832.
Hungarians are renowned horsemen and he rode in a few races, although not to great effect; when he did so the bookmakers were quick to lengthen the odds. He established a stud and owned several horses, the best being his 1875 Derby winner Galopin. It’s said that seeing his champion race excited him so much that the colt was retired at the end of the season for fear of exacerbating a heart condition.
He didn’t stop going racing, though, and dropped dead at Newmarket in 1883. After having a good lunch he was on the way to inspect the runners for the 2,000 Guineas in the paddock when the fatal heart attack struck.
The sale of his race cups netted £2,223 (£275,000 in today’s terms).
When his horses were sold one of them, St Simon (qv) fetched 1,600 guineas but turned out to be one of the best horses and stallions of the 19th century.
A Batthyány Stakes, for gentleman riders, had been run at Goodwood as early as August 1844. There were other 19th century races named after the Prince, run at courses as varied as Newmarket and Maidstone, but the one we are concerned with was run at the Lincoln meeting from 1876. When that course closed in 1964 the race moved to Doncaster, where it still graces the opening meeting of each season.
His descendant Countess Margit Batthyány was a noted owner-breeder in the 20th century, notably the 1972 Arc winner San San and Pia, successful in the 1967 Oaks when trained by Bill Elsey. Her reputation has been ruined by the revelation of her involvement with her complicity in the Nazis’ slaughter of Jews at her castle in 1945.
Sources include The Fast Set (Plumptre) p68-9