she and one other filly were rejected by the buyer, Baron Alex Orczy, who felt they were of inferior quality. Kincsem thus raced for Blaskovich as a homebred. She was trained by Englishman Robert Hesp and ridden in most of her starts by Englishman Elijah Madden. Kincsem was devoted to her groom, who traveled with her everywhere and was subsequently known as Frankie Kincsem. Kincsem was a liver chestnut without any white markings who stood high at maturity. Despite Kincsem's talent, she was faulted throughout her racing career for her plain looks and lengthy frame. B.K. Beckwith, author of Step and Go Together, wrote, "She was as long as a boat and as lean as a hungry leopard ... she had a U-neck and mule ears ... she was lazy, gangly, shiftless ... she was a daisy-eating, scenery-loving, sleepy-eyed and slightly pot-bellied hussy." However, this contradicts her description in horseracing newspaper Sportblatt from 8 April 1876: "The chestnut mare by Cambuscan from the Waternymph looks most like a racehorse. She is over and over full of quality, long and deep, stands on dry, strong, flawless legs and shows herself to great advantage in a fast gallop. We think we are not mistaken in expressing the view that [she] is destined to play an excellent role on the racetrack." Kincsem was noted for her quirky personality, though some details may have become exaggerated over time. For example, a legend claims that she always traveled with a cat and might not move if separated from it. A painting shows her with a cat that some sources name Csalogány (nightingale). Contemporary sources make no mention of the cat but many articles of Sportblatt refer to her traveling with a horse named Csalogany. During Kincsem's extensive travels, all her hay and grain came from Blaskovich's stud farm (then an unusual arrangement), and she refused to eat anything else. She was also particular about the quality of the water she drank. On one occasion at Baden-Baden, the water ran out and she refused to drink for two days until a suitable substitute was found at what was subsequently known as Kincsem's Well. Racing career 1876: Two-year-old season Another legend, used in the Hungarian movie Kincsem, speculates that Kincsem started her career in Germany because Blaskovich was ashamed of her, but the real reason was a summer break on Austrian and Hungarian racetracks. During the three-month