Corrida (1932 – probably 1944) was a French

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

who won races in France, Belgium, Germany and England and is regarded as one of the top

fillies A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, th ...

of the 20th century worldwide. She is best known for her back-to-back wins in France's most prestigious horse race, the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe () is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris over a distance ...

Racing career

Corrida in Latin languages translates as

bullfight Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...

. At age two, she won the

Prix Morny The Prix Morny is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it is schedule ...

and was second by a head to Pampeiro in the

Grand Critérium Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), ...

. At age three, her owner

Marcel Boussac Marcel Boussac (17 April 1889 – 21 March 1980) was a French entrepreneur best known for his ownership of the Maison Dior and one of the most successful thoroughbred race horse breeding farms in European history. Born in Châteauroux, Indre, ...

shipped Corrida to England, where trainer

George Lambton George Lambton (23 November 1860 – 23 July 1945) was a British thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse horse trainer, trainer. He was British flat racing Champion Trainer in the 1906, 1911 and 1912 seasons. Early life The Honourable George Lamb ...

prepared her at

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

. Entered in the

1,000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1, ...

and The Oaks, Corrida performed poorly, and after a third lackluster effort was returned to France. There, Corrida won the

Grand Prix de Marseille Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), ...

Hippodrome de Marseille Borely Marseille Borely Racecourse (Hippodrome de Marseille Borely) is a horse racing facility for thoroughbred flat racing and standardbred harness racing located at 16, avenue de Bonneveine in Marseille, France. The race track was established in 1860. ...

and had three placings in major races including a third in the 1935

. In 1936, she blossomed into the most dominant horse in France. That year, Corrida won seven major races. In England, she captured the

Hardwicke Stakes The Hardwicke Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres), an ...

Ascot Racecourse Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Grade ...

, then won the Grand Prix Prince Rose at

Hippodrome Wellington The Hippodrome Wellington (also ''Wellingtonrenbaan'') is a horse racing race track, track in Ostend in the Flemish Region of Belgium built in 1883, renovated in 2011 and named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. The facility hosts b ...

, in

Ostend Ostend ( ; ; ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke, Raversijde, Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the la ...

, Belgium and in France the

Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is ...

, the

Prix d'Hédouville The Prix d'Hédouville is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles) at Longchamp in ...

, the

Prix du Prince de Galles Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who al ...

, and the

, and repeated her win in the Grand Prix de Marseille. In 1937, Corrida returned to Belgium to win her second straight Grand International d'Ostende and traveled to Berlin, Germany, where she won the Grosser Preis von Reichshauptstadt. In October at

Hippodrome de Longchamp The Longchamp Racecourse (, ) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tra ...

in Paris, she continued to dominate the colts, becoming the first female horse to ever win the 1½ mile

twice.

Retirement

Corrida was retired to her owner's

Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard was a Thoroughbred horse breeding farm in Neuvy-au-Houlme in the Orne department in Lower Normandy, France purchased by Marcel Boussac in 1919. Widely respected, Marcel Boussac was called "the greatest of French breeders ...

breeding Breeding is sexual reproduction that produces offspring, usually animals or plants. It can only occur between a male and a female animal or plant. Breeding may refer to: * Animal husbandry, through selected specimens such as dogs, horses, and rab ...

farm in

Neuvy-au-Houlme Neuvy-au-Houlme () is a commune in the Orne department in northwestern France. The inhabitants of Neuvy-au-Houlme are called les Neuviens or les Neuviennes. Geography The commune of Neuvy-au-Houlme is part of the area known as Suisse Normande ...

Lower Normandy Lower Normandy (, ; ) is a former administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, Lower and Upper Normandy merged becoming one region called Normandy. Geography The region included three departments, Calvados, Manche and Orne, that cover ...

. She was bred to the champion sire

Tourbillon In horology, a tourbillion () or tourbillon (; " whirlwind") is an addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement to increase accuracy. Conceived by the British watchmaker and inventor John Arnold, it was developed by his friend the Swiss-Fr ...

and in 1942 produced

Coaraze Coaraze (; ; ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Geography Coaraze is a small village in the Nice hinterland, in the valley of the River Paillon. The closest t ...

, who won a number of important French races, including the

Prix du Jockey Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly ov ...

and the

was her only offspring to survive the

German occupation of France in World War II The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...

. Following the

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

landing at

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

by the Allied Forces, Corrida disappeared from the

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Types of pasture Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, c ...

at Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard during the Battle of the Falaise Gap. No trace of her was ever found.

References

Corrida information at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
*

France Galop France Galop is the governing body of flat and steeplechase horse racing in France. It was founded on May 3, 1995, as the result of the amalgamation of four different industry organizations. Prominent owner/breeder Jean-Luc Lagardère was elected ...

br>profile of Corrida

Corrida's pedigree and racing stats
{{Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Winners 1932 racehorse births Arc winners Racehorses bred in France Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in France Individual thefts Unsolved crimes in Europe Thoroughbred family 9-e Godolphin Arabian sire line Unsolved crimes in France