La Corredora (foaled 1949) was an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racemare Glossary of North American horse racing: Additional glossaries at: *Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting *Glossary of equestrian terms This is a basic glossary of equestrian terms that includes both technical terminology and jargon ...

voted the American Champion Handicap Mare of 1953 by the New York Turf Writers Association. La Corredora, which in the

Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...

means "The Runner", was sired by multiple stakes winner Little Beans and out of the mare Nellie Mowlee. She was bred by Marian W. O'Connor at Alan Clarke's Huntington Farm near Clarksville, Maryland.

Racing career

Trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Carl Hanford, his brother

Ira Hanford Ira G. "Babe" Hanford (February 24, 1918 – November 21, 2009) was an American jockey. He rode the winning horse in the 1936 Kentucky Derby. Biography He was born in Fairbury, Nebraska, and was Jewish. He rode the winning horse Bold Ventur ...

would be La Corredora's regular jockey. As a two-year-old, La Corredora's most important win came in the 1951 Pimlico Breeders' Stakes for trainer Alan Clark. 1952 saw Carl Hanford responsible for the three-year-old's race conditioning and she won the July 30

Monmouth Oaks The Monmouth Oaks is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey for three-year-old fillies. Named for England's Epsom Oaks, first run in 1779, the inaugural American edition took place in 1 ...

by a nose in a highly competitive field that produced a blanket finish. On November 11, 1952, La Corredora won the inaugural running of the

Gallorette Handicap The Gallorette Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age three and older over a distance of miles (8.5 furlongs) on the turf, run annually on Preakness Day at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The ...

Pimlico Race Course Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Ol ...

New York Championship Year

Through September 1953, the four-year-old La Corredora had won only two non-stakes races. However, in the September 19

Beldame Handicap The Beldame Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares three-years-old and up. Inaugurated in 1939, it was run as a handicap prior to 1960. The race is held annually near the beginning of October at Belmont Park and cur ...

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack locate ...

she showed signs she might be getting back to top form. In spite of traffic problems on the first turn and then being forced wide as she turned for home, La Corredora finished a strong third in the Beldame to the

Darby Dan Farm Darby Dan Farm is a produce, livestock, and thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm founded in 1935 near the Darby Creek in Galloway, Ohio by businessman John W. Galbreath. Named for the creek and for Galbreath's son, Daniel M. Galbreath (19 ...

winner

Atalanta Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene and who is primarily known ...

. On October 7 she won America's oldest stakes race for fillies and mares, the

Ladies Handicap The Ladies Stakes is a historic American Thoroughbred horse race for Fillies and Mares four years of age and older held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Inaugurated at the Jerome Park Racetrack in 1868, it is the oldest stakes ra ...

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

. She then followed up with another win on November 3 in the first division of the Comely Handicap, run that year at the

Jamaica Race Course Jamaica Race Course, also called the Jamaica Racetrack, was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. History The track opened on April 27, 1903, a day which featu ...

. In a field of eleven, La Corredora beat Canadiana who finished in front of third-place finisher Arab Actress. At age four, La Corredora had limited racing success.

As a broodmare

La Corredora had very little success at stud even though she was bred to some of the most distinguished names in Thoroughbred racing including

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

inductees Count Fleet, the 1943 U.S. Triple Crown winner, and

Native Dancer Native Dancer (March 27, 1950 – November 16, 1967), nicknamed the ''Gray Ghost'', was one of the most celebrated and accomplished Thoroughbred racehorses in American history and was the first horse made famous through the medium of television. ...

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1949 racehorse births Thoroughbred family 12-b Racehorses bred in Maryland Racehorses trained in the United States