outside England with Placida. 1878: four-year-old season In 1878, Kincsem turned four years old, meaning that while in the previous year she had a weight for age advantage against older horses, she would now have to concede weight to three-year-olds. In the spring, the form of previously undistinguished three-year-old horses can improve dramatically, which posed problems for Kincsem in her first two starts of the season, in the two cheapest races she ran that year. In the Eröffnungsrennen on Easter Monday 22 April, Kincsem looked to have little competition in a field of five runners on paper form. However, the three-year-old Wild Rover stayed on strongly under 53.5 kg and Madden had to ride hard until Kincsem, under 65.5 kg, broke his resistance 50 meters before the finish and won by two lengths. Wild Rover had been unplaced at two but developed into one of the best three-year-old horses of 1878 with five victories and four second-place finishes. Another up-and-coming three-year-old colt met Kincsem three days later in the Praterpreis over 2000 meters, where she set the early pace under 67.5 kg. Count Henckel's Oroszvar under 54.5 kg challenged her in the straight and come close, but Madden pushed Kincsem home three lengths ahead of the colt, who later won the Trial Stakes (A-H 2000 Guineas), Union Rennen, Deutsches Derby and Renard Rennen. On the way back from Vienna, Kincsem made a stop in Bratislava, where she met Count Henckel's Prince Giles The First for the third time. In a match race in the Államdij over 2400 meters, Kincsem set a moderate pace, easily repulsed a short attack of Prince Giles The First, and won by 5 lengths while giving him a 5 kg advantage. On 14 May, Kincsem met Prince Giles The First again in Budapest, in the Allamdij over two miles. The three-year-old filly Gondolat set the pace under 46 kg and led by 30-40 lengths ahead of Kincsem (67 kg), followed by Prince Giles (62.5 kg). At the halfway point, Kincsem made her move and easily went by Gondolat. Turning into the stretch, she led by five lengths and cantered home 5 to 6 lengths ahead of Prince Giles The First. Two days later, Kincsem beat Prince Giles The First for the fifth time. In a match race in the Kisbéri dij over 2000 metres, Kincsem set a slow pace under 69.5 kg, then increased the pace