There was one question in which Count Niki (Miklós Esterházy) and "the greatest Hungarian" (István Széchenyi) could agree: both of them took part in the propagation of horse-racing in Hungary. The first horse-race in Tata was organized in 1867. Soon it became clear that in addition to the count's hospitality, Tata's lawn could greatly contribute to the new sport's succes. Halfway between Vienna and Budapest, the shore of the lake proved to be a good location for training horses for the upcoming races. Since a whole colony of English trainers came to Tata (Adams, Beeson, Willy Maw, Metcalf and Henry Milne) the stables did not have to lack expertise either. The stud's reputation was raised by the four grey horses which got "roles" in the 1927 film version of Ben Hur. The local newspaper often published reports about horsmanship. Just one example: "Our town had dear guests on Wednesday (28th August, 1935): a group of Dutch distance riders visited us... the riders were received by triumphal arches, music and a real rain of flowers..."