One of the most popular features of The HIDDEN BROOK TIMES is a Q&A with some of our valued clients. Mark Corrado has been associated with Hidden Brook since about 2005.  As President of the family business Leading Lady Intimate Apparel, a premiere nursing and full figure intimate apparel company, he has a busy lifestyle and was kind enough to take some time after his workday to speak with us from his office in Cleveland.

Born: Cleveland, Ohio

Residence: Shaker Heights, Ohio

Family: Fiancé Natasha and two children Alex, 11, Anna, 8

Education: Earned a Business Administration degree from University of Kentucky in 1976

Primary business: Leading Lady Intimate Apparel, President

Mark, thank you for speaking with me!  Tell me a little about your family's business.  You must enjoy working with women!  Without them I wouldn't be in business! Leading Lady works with women of all ages from the nursing mom to full figured and mature women. Danah Bordner, who is our spokesperson and wears our hat on the LPGA Tour, just stopped by our office today. She was here running through some new product ideas with our team. My grandfather started the company in 1939. He sewed for a woman for five straight years without ever getting a vacation. When she retired and closed the business, she sold it to him for $240. We still have the bill of sale up on the wall. The sale consisted of three machines (which we still have) and four accounts.

Your father Al Corrado was a huge Ohio Thoroughbred industry advocate, owner and breeder of several stakes winners and Ohio champions - how much were you involved together?  We were very involved with the Ohio program together (he was president for several years of the Ohio Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association), and most of those horses I bred with him. We had Ohio Horse of the Year Star of the Night in 1992 and we bred and raced many horses together.  We purchased  a filly named Cut the Cuteness as yearling at an Ohio-bred sale for $12,000 and she won 13 stakes races including the Bryan Station S. at Keeneland, so were very lucky early on.

Were you interested in horses growing up?  Yes - I would attend the races with my father and grandfather at Thistledown or Randall Park back then (now I'm really dating myself!).

I read a great story about your father's horse I'll Raise You One and his retirement at Fair Winds Farm - Can you share more details about that?  I'll Raise You One stood at Kim and Lori Williams' Fair Winds Farm in Ohio until he retired from stud duty.  He was a very, very fast horse that my father raced. My Dad continued to board him at Fair Winds and would always stop and give him carrots when he was driving South on 71 and was anywhere near the farm. He even sent him care packages and Christmas treats when he couldn't visit in person. Kim Williams shared this story and it was printed in my father's obituary in the Cleveland paper. (Ed Note: Al Corrado bought I'll Raise You One at the Keeneland Sept Sale for $16,000 and he went on to win his first start by "12 or 14 lengths" at Hialeah, according to his trainer, James Morgan, who stated he was "the fastest horse I ever trained." I'll Raise You One set track records at Arlington and Fairmont Park and placed in the G3 Fairmount Derby. He lived to be 29 and is buried at Fair Winds next to Ohio Champion Honey Jay).

What has been your personal highlight in racing? In 1995, my dad and I both had horses running in the $100,000 Queen City Oaks at River Downs. We owned Cut the Cuteness together and I had a horse named Double Your Fun.  Those two dead-heated for the win and it was 19 lengths back to the third place horse.  The winners circle photo shows both horses on either side of our group and it is really amazing. Double Your Fun was a horse I bred who was by my father's stallion I'll Raise You One. At the time I bred the dam, I thought I was doing my father a favor sending a mare to him. The foal, Double Your Fun, had all kinds of training delays and we were ready to give up on her but she finally got the racetrack. She won her first start by 10-1/2 lengths! Click here to view Winners Circle photo

Are there any other breeding successes that are particularly memorable for you?  The first horse I ever bred in my life was a real success story.  My dad had a mare called Pterygium who had produced a few winners. I was in living in Chicago at the time and saw a horse run there called Star Choice and I really loved him and wanted to breed a mare to him. So I did a foal share with my Dad and bred Star of The Night, who became a stakes winner, earned over $250,000 and was named Ohio Horse of the Year in 1992.

How did you become connected with Hidden Brook? My dad came to know Dan from his Adena Springs days, when he sold a mare to Frank Stronach. I owned 10% of that mare and we just started dealing with Dan. The more I dealt with him the more I said, "He knows a heck of a lot more than I do", and I began to always run ideas by him. He has always treated me very fairly. More recently I got involved with some of the Hidden Brook partnership horses such as Pianist and Neilos. I also own a part of Handoverthecat and was able to drive up and be there for her recent win. My mom and I owned a piece of La Reine Lionne too.

How has the Hidden Brook experience been different?  Dan is very, very low key and very fair. There is no pressure and they just make it so easy. They are all extremely knowledgeable and it makes the racing side of the business so much more fun for me. I'd like to tell a story that illustrates this: we had been working with Hidden Brook and I asked Dan to estimate the value of a horse we were selling. He did and when I asked him what we owed him after the sale went through at this price, he didn't want to take any money for it. I had to force him to take the 5% commission!

What would you tell someone who was interested in getting involved in the sport? Start working with someone like Dan and don't try to do it on your own. I did it on my own in the beginning and got very lucky. But then, reality set in after the initial success, and I realized that I was better off dealing with someone who is a real expert at this business.  

What publications do you regularly read?  The Blood-Horse, Daily Racing Form a few times a week, and I read the Wall Street Journal most days. And I like to catch up with Sports Illustrated as often as possible.

What do you do in your spare time? Love to golf. In the spring, summer and fall I try to play three to four times per week.

You travel a lot for your job; where would you most like to visit? I recently returned from a business trip to China and Bangladesh, and just visited France with my fiancé, but I have always wanted to go to Australia; I've never been there. Plus they love racing there which would really make it fun.

Favorite sports teams?

Of course UK (University of Kentucky) is far and away my number one team. I have been to almost all of the Final Four games since graduating. But I'm also a diehard Cleveland sports team fan as well! I was actually at the 1964 NFL Championship Game on December 27th 1964 with my father and grandfather.  I was ten and it was cold as it could be. That was the last time Cleveland won a major championship.

Favorite place to eat? There's a local Italian place called Bravo that we love. We have all of our family and company holiday parties there. They are actually owned by the same group that owns the Brio franchise which is adjacent to Gulfstream Park.

How would you summarize your passion for horseracing?

Horseracing is a wonderful diversion to me. I attend every Breeders' Cup and I try to go to Saratoga each year. I have been to the Kentucky Derby for 41 years in a row. The Cleveland Plain Dealer actually wrote a big article about my 40th visit. I remember my first Derby - It was the year Secretariat won and I was drunk in the infield and never saw a horse!  

Final Words?