by Unbreakable- The Woman Who Defied the Nazis in the World's Most Dangerous Horse Race (retail) (epub)
p. 105: Alice Milliat
Milliat deserves a book of her own, although little biographical information about her survives. See: ‘alice Milliat, héroine oubliée du sport français’, by Jean-François Fournel, La Croix, 4–5 March 2017; ‘alice Milliat and the Women’s Olympic Games’, by Sarah Gross, PowerUp magazine, 13 July 2016.
p. 105: ‘to crown the victors’
Quoted in ‘alice Milliat, héroine oubliée du sport français’ . See also Women and Sports in the United States: A Documentary Reader.
p. 106: Marie Vidláková won gold in the shot put
It was actually the double-handed shot put. She also held records for the double-handed javelin throw, as well as being a leading sprinter and hurdler.
p. 106: perhaps for the sole purpose of pleasing Lata
The race was called the Cena Řídké – the Řídká prize – which to english eyes appears as near as makes no difference to the name of Lata’s village but to Czech eyes is quite different, unless there was another variant of the spelling of Řitka of which no other record survives. In the absence of any alternative explanation, I am inclined to assume that there was.
p. 107: ‘She began to respond to me particularly well’
Lata interviewed by František Šírl in Řitka v minulosti.
p. 110: ‘every inch a gentleman’
rudolf Deyl, quoted in Taxis a ti druzí.
p. 110: Irma Formánková
I am grateful to Martin Cáp for drawing my attention to this connection. For more on Formánková, see ‘Irma Formánková’, Veterán, winter 2016, pp. 25ff.
p. 111: Hynek Býček . . . would be a hero of the anti-Nazi resistance
See: ‘Hynek býček (1898–1992)’ by Martin Cáp, at www.dostihy.cz.
p. 111: Josef Charous
See www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ch/josef-charous-1.html.
p. 111: the all-male world of Pardubice’ s cavalry barracks and military riding school
The 8th St Wenceslas Cavalry Regiment had its equestrian barracks and riding school on a site now occupied by the Pardubice branch of Tesco. For more on the school, see Taxis a ti druzí, pp. 99–100; and ‘Mjr Franjo aubrecht (1896–1985) a jeho boj proti totalitám’, pp. 7–8.
p. 113: he referred the matter up to . . . the English Jockey Club
no direct documentary evidence of this correspondence survives. The english Jockey Club destroyed its correspondence from this period long ago; that of the Prague Jockey Club is also lost; and any letters that remained in Ra’s hands can be assumed to have perished in the karlova koruna fire of 1943. but the gist of the exchange was repeatedly attested to at the time by, among others, by ra and Lata, and was not disputed, and I see no reason to doubt it – partly because, had ra not found a way of resolving the dispute that more or less satisfied all parties, Lata would probably not have raced.
p. 113: she must be provided with a separate changing room
These details appear in Lata’ s own account of the correspondence, in František Šírl’ s interview in Řitka v minulosti. I am grateful to Martina růžičková-Jelínková for confirming that female riders in the Velká Pardubická are still provided with a separate changing room.
p. 114: a paper on ‘Women’s Participation in Athletics’ presented to the International Olympic Committee
Quoted in ‘Olympic Women: a Struggle for Recognition’.
p. 114: There was even a life-size version of Taxis
Some say that it was a few inches larger than life-size, so that the real thing would be easier by comparison. The ditch is still there (I am grateful to Count Francesco kinský dal borgo for guiding me to it and allowing me to stand in it), but it is too over-grown by trees for fine measurement to be possible.
p. 116: Countess Brandisová was not seriously hurt
Národní listy, 7 October 1927, p. 6.
p. 117: a medallion with an image of the Virgin Mary; another, depicting St Anthony
I was told about the Virgin Mary medallion by Countess Génilde kinský (whose special interest in the subject is explained in chapter 26). Jiří kocman, who inherited Lata’s helmet as well as her racing silks when he began to work at Chlumec, told me about St anthony.
p. 117: on Sunday the trains were overflowing
Venkov, 11 October 1927, p. 6.
p. 117: The weather was pleasant
rudolf Deyl’s account, quoted in Taxis a ti druhí.
p. 117: There were 650 cars packed into the car park
My accounts of this and subsequent Velká Pardubickás are, as previously mentioned, heavily indebted to Od Fantoma po Peruána; as well as to Miloslav nehyba’s private archive. Passing details that are not attributed to other sources may be assumed to come from either the book or the archive; although whenever possible I have also confirmed them from other sources, such as contemporary news reports, or the collection of reminiscences in Taxis a ti druhí.
p. 118: A well-dressed couple . . . smile back
The photograph appears in Pestrý týden, 12 november 1927, p. 8.
p. 118: ‘If you sit on a horse, you must have your nerves properly together.’
Lata in an interview in Express Praha, 20 October 1937.
p. 118: get your approach to it wrong, and your race can be over before you’ve settled into it.
My comments, here and elsewhere, on the ins and outs of riding in the Velká Pardubická are based mainly on interviews with jockeys with experience of the race (see acknowledgements, page 402). However, I have also used the extensive jump-by-jump comments of the late Miloš Svoboda and the late eva Palyzová, quoted in Taxis a ti druzí. This particular insight was emphasised by Palyzová.
p. 119: ‘even with a woman in the saddle’
Národní listy, 9 October 1927, p. 5.
p. 120: ‘the time to give up is when you are in the ambulance’
‘For neck and honour’, by John Oaksey, Sunday Telegraph, 14 October 1973, p. 37. I have not been able to trace the first use of his much-quoted remark about ‘fools, bloody fools and those who remount in steeplechases’.
p. 123: standing on benches
race-goers can be seen doing so in a picture in Pestrý týden, 12 november 1927, p. 8.
p. 124: Charous . . . had the grace to say . . . that Lata’s performance had been ‘really impressive’
Pestrý týden, 24 December 1927, p. 4.
p. 125: ‘She was considered very grand and arrogant’
This i s t rue i n the s ense that it c learly b ecame the received w isdom in some racing circles (not least in the Communist era); but it is not supported by anyone I have encountered who actually had contact with Lata. I should add that the expert in question, the Prague-based british academic robin Healey, is spectacularly well-informed about Czech racing history (and much else) and has given me wise and generous support in my research. He admitted, however, that he had no special knowledge of Lata’s story.
p. 126: Avery Brundage . . . once complained rather pathetically
The complaint was in a 1973 interview with Mary H. leigh, quoted in ‘The Pioneering role Of Madame alice Milliat and the FSFI in establishing International Trade and Field Competition for Women’, by Mary H. leigh and Thérèse M. bonin, Journal of Sport History, Vol. 4, no. 1 (spring, 1977), pp. 72–83.
p. 127: the need to (as their mother put it) ‘honour’ the man of the house
Johanna uses the word in her 1918 will.
p. 128: Alžběta Jarocká
I am grateful to Pavel Satorie, her step-grandson, for helping me to make sense of Gikina’s otherwise mysterious role in Lata’s story.
p. 129: The village girls who watched them
Jana Sléhová and Františka Mašková each independently mentioned this.
p. 133: US stocks would be worth barely a tenth of their value
See: ‘Crash course: what the Great Depression reveals about our future’, by larry elliott, Guardian, 4 March 2017; and The Great Crash 1929, by
J. k. Galbraith (Hamish Hamilton, 1955).
p. 134: ‘We used to play football with the boys from the German school . . . ’
The speaker was Jaromír konůpka, who grew up in kopřivnice with the future athlete emil Zátopek, the subject of my biography, ‘Today We Die A Little . . . ’: Emil Zátopek, Olympic Legend to Cold War Hero (Yellow Jersey, 2016).
p. 135: Lieutenant Mellenthin
There is an extended account of the Mellenthin affair in Od Fantoma po Peruána.
p. 136: a flawless round in a show jumping contest at Velká Chuchle
The contest, for men and women, was part of a meeting from 16–18 May 1930 and was reported in Dostihový a jezdecký sport, no. 12, p. 5.
p. 137: commentators who, for the first time, were reporting live on the proceedings to radio listeners
See: ‘rudolf Popler, nezapomenutelný hrdina Velké pardubické’, in Dostihový svět special, October 2004, pp. 36ff.
p. 138: performing a complete somersault
See: Od Fantoma po Peruána.
p. 139: his broken heart was a factor in his greatness
This seems to have been the belief of Josef Pávek, Popler’s friend and author of the biographical Tisíc a jeden skok.
p. 140: he wrote to Weatherbys . . . to enquire about the possibility of entering Gyi Lovam! for the Grand National
The best account I have read of Popler’s english adventure is in Velká pardubická a Velká Národní Liverpoolska, pp. 161–78.
p. 141: President Tomáš Masaryk . . . watched . . . the Czechoslovak Derby
The ‘Cena prezidenta republiky’, in October, seems to have started in 1920; but Masaryk showed no sign of wanting to come and watch it. See: ‘Navzdory válkám a pohromám chuchelské dostihy přežívají’, by Jiří kábrt, čtidoma.cz, 23 February 2016.
p. 141: He . . . made a conscious effort to associate himself with his countrymen’s equestrian traditions
See Masaryk’s obituary in The Times, 15 September 1937. Masaryk even went so far as to learn to ride, at the age of sixty-eight.
p. 141: Lata . . . may well have been introduced to him
Martin Cáp, the greatest living expert on the history of Velká Chuchle, believes that Lata may even have bought her own horse (see page 147) with the aim of securing such an introduction.
p. 141: Lata is thought to have been among the 1.25 million visitors
See: Kniha o městě Pardubice; and the town’s sporting history at http://work. xhtml-css.cz/pardubice/en/the-history-of-sport.html#clanek4. Jiří kotyk, Pardubice historian, considers it highly unlikely that Lata would not have been there.
p. 144: ‘Everyone was glad that the race was over’
Od Fantoma po Peruána, p. 62.
p. 146: ‘like a cat’
The words are attributed to Popler, perhaps fancifully, in Josef Pávek’s Tisíc a jeden skok, p. 213.
p. 146: ‘courageous Amazon’
Hamburgischer Correspondent und neue hamburgische Börsen-Halle, 23 September 1931.
p. 147: she seems to have registered her own colours in 1931
no official records survive for 1931, but her colours were not registered the previous year and were by 1932. Given that Dante ran in the 1931 Derby, we can assume that they were registered by then.
p. 148: Řitka was quite heavily mortgaged
The Pospíšil papers suggest that the mortgage covered roughly half the estate’s value.
p. 149: ‘the death of a young athlete, and of a friend’
Quoted in Tisíc a jeden skok, p. 305.
p. 151: ‘no one here will shed any tears for the disappearance of German democracy’
‘In Germany, the elections’, Daily Mail, 1 March 1933. lord rothermere, the newspaper’s proprietor, was a vigorous supporter of british fascism. His notorious ‘Hurrah for the blackshirts!’ editorial appeared on 15 January 1934. Some Mail staff are said to have worn black shirts to work during this period, to signify their support. See Reporting on Hitler, by Will Wainewright (biteback, 2017); Mail Men, by adrian addison (atlantic books, 2017).
p. 152: support for fascist parties
For example: Vlajka and akce národní obrody.
p. 153: frequent visits from the far-right leader General Radola Gajda
See A History of the Czechoslovak Republic 1918–1948, pp. 302–3.
p. 153: Leopold von Fugger
The fullest and most balanced account that I have seen of Fugger’s time in Pardubice is the chapter devoted to him in Pardubický Zámeček a jeho osudy, pp. 16–24.
p. 154: Fugger’s record as a much-decorated reconnaissance pilot
according to his mother, Poldi flew nearly 200 missions over enemy positions, and his plane was hit at least thirty times. He was rewarded with eight decorations. See: The Glory of the Habsburgs, pp. 310–11.
p. 155: almost certainly including . . . Lata
I base this assertion on the opinions of Dr Jiří kotyk; František bobek, who very kindly showed me round the Zámeček; and Génilde kinský, who as a child often saw ra, Lata and Poldi in the same place. each thought it likely that Lata would have visited, but none was certain.
p. 155: won at least one showjumping contest
See: Venkov, 26 april 1933, p. 8. His horse was called Duruito.
p. 156: her own relationship with Hanuš Kasalický – whose increasing closeness must . . . have been creating confusion in her heart
My evidence for this is simultaneously strong and vague. In addition to the gossip of young Řitka-dwellers, the relationship attracted attention in Všenory, and was eventually mentioned as a factor in kasalický’s post-war divorce. It was also mentioned in evidence, apparently originating from a Dr Forster from Všenory, that was cited in a letter from the Místní národní výbor ve Všenorech to the Okresní národní výbor, 17 november 1945, in relation to legal proceedings over kasalický’s collaboration. (The relevant documents are in Všenory library.) kasalický’s grandson, Jan Doležal, who lives in Switzerland and as far as I can tell is kasalický’s closest surviving relative, confirmed that kasalický’s ‘affair’ with Lata was discussed in his family when he was growing up, although he knew nothing of the details. So we can be confident that something significant happened between them. What we don’t know is what, or when – hence my speculative tone.
p. 156: the press was reporting that Neklan would be Lata’s mount
Národni listy, 30 September 1933.
p. 157: She was small – about fifteen and a half hands
norma’s height was estimated at 165–167cm at the shoulder. as with other measurements, I have converted this into the imperial and pre-imperial measurements of the british racing world. Much of my information about norma, including this detail, comes from two articles published in Dostihový zpravodaj in 1980 (‘Sága rodu Normy’, Vol. 7, pp. 6–9) and 1981 (‘Po stopách Normy’, Vol. 5, pp. 12–14). The first of these was written by Dr karel Trojan, a dragoons officer and friend of Ra’s who rode norma over the kinskýs’ replica Velká Pardubická course a few weeks after Lata’s 1937 triumph. The second was written by the magazine’s editors, correcting various alleged inaccuracies in Dr Trojan’s account. between them, the two articles paint a remarkably full picture. I have supplemented this with the memories of others who knew and rode norma (e.g., Génilde kinský, Jiří kocman and – via their children – eduard Zágler and František Schwarzenberg), along with evidence from the kinský studbook and from contemporary reports. I am very grateful to lenka Gotthardová and Miloslav nehyba for their tireless efforts to trace further biographical details about the half-forgotten co-heroine of this book.
p. 157: ‘they made a harmonious, attractive unit’
Dr karel Trojan, in ‘Sága rodu Normy’.
p. 157: ‘That’s a beautiful lady . . . ’
I was told this by Pavel liebich – who may or may not have been the visiting jockey himself.
p. 158: ‘She couldn’t bear having a horse in fron
t of her’
Jiří kocman.
p. 158: ‘tough, brave and faithful horse . . . ’
Lata in ‘Vitěz Velké pardubické, slečna brandisová, vypravuje’, an interview in Svoboda-Brno, 22 October 1937.
p. 158: ‘the cleverest horse I ever knew’
František Horák, quoted in ‘Sága rodu Normy’, which also includes details of nedejse’s mathematical gifts.
p.159: František Schwarzenberg . . . described her as ‘a love’
Schwarzenberg used the expression when enthusing about norma to his daughter, ludmila. The family had moved to the US by then, and František, who was raised by english nannies, was speaking in english. according to lud mila (now ludmila S. bidwell), he admired both norma and Lata ‘exceedingly’.
p. 159: ‘Pan kůň’ The phrase literally means ‘Mr Horse’ . Quoted by Dr karel Trojan, in ‘Sága rodu Normy’, along with the observation about norma’s ‘chiselled, lean legs’, etc.
p. 159: scorning treats such as sugar lumps
Lata made this point in an interview for ‘Žena a její svět’, Express-Praha, 20 October 1937.
p. 160: Henlein insisted on being greeted with the words: ‘Heil, mein Führer’
reported in ‘German and Czech’, The Times, 3 December 1937.
p. 161: ‘the best in history’
Miloslav nehyba and Jaroslav Hubálek in Od Fantoma po Peruána.
p. 162: ‘she rode very beautifully’
Le sport universel illustré, 28 October 1933, p. 854.
p. 163: ‘the fearless Countess Brandisová’
Národní listy, 16 October 1933, p. 5.
p. 165: sixty-five-mile journey took them two days
‘bůh, čest, vlast a koně’, by lenka Gotthardová (klubu equus kinsky, 1998).
p. 166: Kasalický sometimes gave them lifts in his
In august 1930, alžběta was in kasalický’s car when he was involved in a minor collision with a bus in Prague.
p. 167: Norma . . . certainly pulled a carriage . . . Brutus . . . sometimes pulled a plough
The detail about norma comes from Dr karel Trojan, in ‘Sága rodu Normy’ . Martin Cáp has a photograph of brutus pulling a plough.
