The Orlov that conquered France
by Lisa Harkema
He was one of the thousands of Orlov trotters exported from Russia in the golden age of the breed. Kozyr found a new home in France, was one of the best aged trotters in France for several years and is today found in every French pedigree.
From the mid-1860s to the mid-1880s, the Russian Orlov trotter reigned supreme in trotting Europe, which admittedly was in its infancy. The first Orlov trotters were exported from Russia to Italy and Austria in the 1840s. The demand for the breed really took off after the World’s Fair in Paris in 1867, when the Orlov trotter Bedouin made headlines by trotting 3500 feet (1066 meters) in 1:32. Converted to a full mile of 5280 feet this gives a mile rate of 2:18.4 (1.26,3) while Flora Temple’s world record for the mile then stood at 2:19 3/4 (it would later that year be lowered by Dexter to 2:17 1/4). After the performance demand for Orlov trotters increased substantially and for some years up to 10 percent of the annual Orlov crops were for exported from Russia. At the next World Fair in the French capital, in 1878, grey stallion Lyubezny won the grand prize by trotting 6000 meters (roughly 3 3/4 mile) in 1.40,2 (2:41.1).
Several Orlov trotters excelled in France in this period, but none of them shone at stud. The only one who left any kind of lasting legacy was the graceful black stallion Kozyr. Born in Russia in 1877, Kozyr started to make a name for himself by winning three races at the legendary Moscow Hippodrome in 1884. He was not dominant at first, however, and after winning in his debut he failed to place in several races. The following year he established himself as one of the best in the country by defeating the rest of the Russian elite in the Grand Prix of Moscow, winning in 1.35 (2:32.4) over 4800 meters (nearly 3 miles), thus beating the famous Orlov trotter Polkan’s record time over the distance.