Natalma

Natalma (March 26, 1957 – January 29, 1985) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse best known as the dam (mother) of the most important sire, and sire of sires, of the 20th Century, Northern Dancer.^[1]

Background

Bred in Virginia, she was purchased by Canadian business mogul E. P. Taylor at the Saratoga, New York yearling sales for $35,000.

Racing career

Natalma won the 1959 Spinaway Stakes but was disqualified and set back to third place. While in training for the 1960 Kentucky Oaks she suffered a chipped bone in a knee and had to be retired from racing.

Breeding record

Although late in the breeding season, she was sent to her owner's Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada to be bred to Nearctic. That late pairing resulted in Northern Dancer being born on May 27, 1961. Natalma was bred to Nearctic two more times but a 1965 filly died as a yearling suffering a paddock incident for falling forwards and fracturing her leg . She was later euthanize . their 1973 twins, a colt and a filly, both died a week after birth . The filly had been sick at birth and the colt got the illness from the filly and the colt died about 3~4 hours after the filly However, Natalma did produce stakes winners Native Victor, Regal Dancer and Born A Lady, as well as four other stakes placed horses and notable producers, Raise the Standard, Arctic Dancer (dam of La Prevoyante), and Spring Adieu (granddam of champion stallion Danehill).

Natalma was humanely euthanized on January 29, 1985 at the Windfields Farm satellite operation in Maryland (now the Northview Stallion Station) after unsuccessful treatment for colic. She was buried in the farm's equine cemetery.

Honors

In 2007, Natalma's contribution to the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing was recognized through her induction in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.^[2]

Pedigree

References