Eclipse Award winner Queena, the dam of grade 1 winner and sire Brahms, was euthanized due to complications from colic at Helen Alexander’s Middlebrook Farm near Lexington. She was 21.
The game, bay daughter of Mr. Prospector, bred and raced by Emory Hamilton, accrued an impressive resume over three seasons of racing including three grade 1 victories in the Ruffian Handicap, Maskette Stakes, and Ballerina Handicap en route to divisional honors as the champion older mare in 1991. A versatile performer, Queena won from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles, with an average winning distance of 7.05 furlongs. Trained by Shug McGaughey, she retired from racing with five graded stakes victories, ten wins from 17 starts, and earnings of $565,024.
As a broodmare, Queena was nothing but stellar. She produced five winners from six foals to race including grade I winner and sire Brahms, by Danzig, the A.P. Indy daughter La Reina, winner of the Tempted Stakes (gr. III), stakes producer Panthera, by Storm Cat, and the South African-based Danzig son Sobieski. Her offspring were highly sought after in the sales ring, and five of her yearlings sold for a combined total of $8 million. Overall, Queena was the dam of nine foals. She was bred to Ghostzapper this past season, but was not in foal when she died.
Queena was a full sister to Ashland Stakes (gr. I) winner Chic Shirine, the dam of grade II winners Waldoboro and Tara Roma, and the granddam of grade I winner Serra Lake. Her dam was grade I winner Too Chic, who also won the Maskette Stakes and equaled the track record at Belmont Park for 1 1/16 miles in 1:40.40. Queena was buried at Middlebrook near her dam. –Mary R. Marshall
