Racing Legend Dies in Obscurity: The tragic Fate of Láta Brandisová, Pardubice‘s Sole Female Champion
BOJOV, CZECH REPUBLIC – Láta Brandisová, the first and only woman to win the prestigious velká Pardubice steeplechase, died in 1979 in Austria, largely forgotten and living in poverty, decades after achieving sporting glory. Her story, a stark contrast between triumphant athleticism and a later life of hardship, is a poignant reminder of how quickly fame can fade and the challenges faced by pioneering women in sport.
Brandisová’s victory in the 1937 Velká Pardubice was a watershed moment, establishing her as a national hero in pre-war czechoslovakia.She repeated her win in 1939, but her career and life were irrevocably altered by the political upheaval and subsequent hardships of the 20th century. Following a severe fall in 1946, wich resulted in a spinal injury and a coma, Brandisová endured lasting physical and cognitive impairments. Though she relearned to walk with assistance, her riding career was over, and her passion for the sport diminished as racing was deemed “bourgeois entertainment” under the Communist regime.
In 1953, Brandisová was forced to leave her family’s castle in Řitka following nationalization. She and her sisters were relocated to a remote cottage near Bojov, living in impoverished conditions without basic amenities like electricity or running water. brandisová received a disability pension and managed the household, while her sisters worked at the Orion Chocolate Center in Prague. She never returned to Řitka.
The death of her twin sister Kristýna in 1979 left Brandisová isolated. She briefly found solace visiting her nephew at his horse chateau in Austria, but succumbed to pneumonia there, never returning to the cottage she called home. As she herself wrote, she had “snapped the book of the past and never opened it again.”
Today, Brandisová’s legacy is being revived. An exhibition at the Řitka chateau commemorates her life, and since 2015, the Velká pardubice race has presented the Láta brandisová Award, ensuring her pioneering spirit is remembered by future generations of riders.
