Corona Chick, champion Quarter Horse and broodmare, dead

Corona Chick, the Quarter Horse filly who won three championship titles in 1991 and 1992 and later became a prolific broodmare, died of natural causes on June 26, owner Julianna Hawn Holt announced earlier this week.

Corona Chick was 24. She died at Holt’s ranch in Blanco, Texas.

A winner of 15 of 18 starts and $591,326 for owner and breeder Bob Etchandy and trainer Frank Monteleone, Corona Chick was the champion 2-year-old filly and overall champion 2-year-old of 1991, and the champion 3-year-old filly of 1992.

On the track, Corona Chick was best known for winning 13 consecutive races, mostly at Los Alamitos, from August 1991 through August 1992. The winning streak included victories in four futurities – the Governor’s Cup, Ed Burke, Kindergarten and Dash For Cash – and one derby, the Governor’s Cup Derby.

Her winning streak ended with a second-place finish to the 123-1 shot Royal Trips in the Southern California Derby at Hollywood Park in September 1992, the final year Quarter Horses ran at that track.

At one time, Corona Chick held the 350-yard track record of 17.22 seconds at Los Alamitos, which has since been broken.

As a broodmare, Corona Chick was equally brilliant. She is the dam of the stallions Corona Cartel, Corona Czech, and Valiant Hero. Corona Cartel’s progeny have earned more than $41 million.

Corona Chick was pensioned after delivering a Walk Thru Fire filly in 2011.