La Corredora (foaled 1949) was an American

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 ...

racemare The following is a 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 term ...

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 languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

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 Clarksville is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Howard County, Maryland, Howard County, Maryland; the second highest-earning county in the United States according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The community is named for William Cl ...

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. Hanford became involved in racing after b ...

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 O ...

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 at

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 within ...

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 ...

winner

Atalanta Atalanta (; ) is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...

. 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 ...

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

. 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 Canadiana is a term used to describe things (e.g., books, historical documents, works of art, music and artifacts), ideas, or activities that concern or are distinctive of Canada, its peoples, and/or its culture, especially works of literature ...

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 Count Fleet (March 24, 1940 – December 3, 1973) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the sixth winner of the American Triple Crown. He won the Belmont Stakes by a then record margin of twenty-five lengths. After an undefeated ...

, 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