Chicado V facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Chicado V

Chicado V as a three-year-old
Breed	Quarter Horse
Discipline	Racing
Sire	Chicaro Bill
Grandsire	Chicaro (TB)
Dam	Do Good
Maternal grandsire	St. Louis
Sex	Mare
Foaled	1950
Country	United States
Color	Brown
Breeder	Frank Vessels
Honors
Racing record
6-3-1-1 AAAT speed rating
Race earnings
$5,215.00 (approximately $57,000 as of 2025)
Racing awards
Co-Champion Quarter Running 2-Yr-Old Filly (1952)
Honors
American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame
Last updated on: May 19, 2009.

Chicado V (born in 1950 – died February 1972) was a famous Quarter Horse racehorse. She was known as a champion on the racetrack. But she became even more famous as an amazing "broodmare," which means a female horse used for breeding. Chicado V gave birth to many champion horses.

She was born in 1950 in Los Alamitos, California. Her breeder, the person who helped her be born, was Frank Vessels. Earl Holmes was her trainer, the person who taught her to race. Chicado V only raced six times because of problems with her knees. But she still won her first two races and set new track records! In 1952, she was named co-Champion Quarter Running Two-Year-Old Filly. This is a big award from the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA).

After her racing career ended in 1953, Chicado V became a broodmare. She had nine foals, or baby horses. Two of her foals also became Champion Quarter Running Horses. All her foals together won seven "stakes races." These are important races for high-quality horses. Three of her sons, Triple Chick, Three Chicks, and The Ole Man, became very successful fathers of other racehorses. Chicado V was so important that she was added to the AQHA's American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2006.

Chicado V's Early Life

Chicado V was born in 1950 in California. She was a Quarter Horse, a breed known for its speed over short distances. The AQHA registered her as number 29,689 in their official records. Her father was Chicaro Bill, and her mother was Do Good. Her mother, Do Good, is also in the AQHA Hall of Fame!

Chicado V had a full brother named Senor Bill. He was also a great racehorse and breeding stallion. She also had two half-sisters, Clabber II and Do Win, who were excellent racers. Chicado V's grandmother on her father's side was Verna Grace. She was known as Fair Chance when she raced. Chicado V's family tree includes other famous horses like Traveler and the Thoroughbred Hall of Fame member Peter Pan. On her mother's side, she was related to horses from Louisiana and another AQHA Hall of Famer, Peter McCue.

When Chicado V was fully grown, she stood 15.0 hands (60 inches, 152 cm) tall. This means she was about 60 inches (152 cm) tall at her shoulders. She was a brown horse. Her only special markings were a connected "star, stripe, and snip" on her face. These are white marks on a horse's forehead and nose.

Earl Holmes, her trainer, took care of Chicado V from a young age. He said she was "gentle, real gentle—in everything. She was born broke[n]." This means she was naturally calm and easy to handle. When she stood in the starting gate for a race, Holmes joked that she looked like a rabbit. "She had big ears and that's all you could see, she was so little," he said. Chicado V also had a body feature called "calf-knees." This means her knees bent slightly backward, which can sometimes cause problems for racehorses.

Chicado V's Racing Career

When Chicado V was two years old, she began her race training. Her owner first sent her to his trainer, Farrell Jones. But Jones didn't like her calf-knees. He also noticed she didn't run well during practice. She often lagged behind other horses. So, Jones sent her back to her owner, Frank Vessels. Vessels then sent her to another trainer, Eddie Moreno.

Moreno finished her training and sent her to her first race. It was a 350-yard (320 m) race. Chicado V surprised everyone by winning and setting a new track record of 18.1 seconds! Her amazing performance changed Jones's mind, and he took her back. Her knees meant she couldn't race very often. She only raced one more time as a two-year-old. This was a 220-yard (200 m) race at Bay Meadows Racetrack. She won again, matching the track record of 17.2 seconds.

Chicado V took an 11-month break from racing. She returned as a three-year-old, but her leg problems continued. She raced four times that year. She won once, finished second once, and third once. In her win at Pomona, she broke her own track record for the 350-yard (320 m) distance, lowering it to 17.9 seconds. Even though her knees were a problem, she never completely broke down. This means she never got so injured that she couldn't run. She retired from racing in December 1953.

Overall, Chicado V raced six times in two years. She won three races, came in second once, and third once. In 1952, she earned a Race Register of Merit from the AQHA. This is an award for horses that meet certain racing standards. She also received the highest possible speed rating, AAAT. This rating shows how incredibly fast she could run. She won a "stakes race," which is a race for top-quality horses. The AQHA named her co-Champion Quarter Running Two-Year-Old Filly in 1952. She earned $5,215 in prize money (which is about $57,000 in today's money).

Chicado V's Broodmare Career

After retiring from racing, Chicado V became a "broodmare." This means she was used to have foals, or baby horses. She gave birth to nine foals between 1955 and 1968. Seven were male horses (stallions) and two were female horses (mares). Seven of her foals also earned their Race Register of Merit from the AQHA.

Four of her foals were fathered by Three Bars (TB), a very famous stallion who is also in the AQHA Hall of Fame. Her other five foals had different fathers, including another Hall of Famer, Go Man Go. Her owner, Frank Vessels, thought Chicado V was the best broodmare he owned. In 1959, he said he "wouldn't part with her" and would "be crazy to sell her."

• Triple Chick (born 1955): He was Chicado V's first foal, fathered by Three Bars. Triple Chick never raced, but he became a very important "broodmare sire." This means his daughters gave birth to many winning racehorses.
• War Chic (born 1956): This male horse was rated AAAT on the racetrack. He won 12 out of 21 races and earned $35,453 (about $347,200 today). He was named Champion Two-Year Old Colt in 1958.
• Table Tennis (born 1957): This mare won two stakes races and eight other races. She also had an AAAT rating and earned $35,197 (about $344,700 today). She was named Champion Three Year Old Filly in 1960.
• Three Chicks (born 1959): He was a full brother to Triple Chick, meaning they had the same parents. Three Chicks won two stakes races and one other race. He was rated AAAT on the track. After racing, he also won an AQHA Champion award in horse shows. He earned $22,625 (about $216,300 today). Like Triple Chick, he became a very important broodmare sire.
• Chicado Chick (born 1960): Another full brother to Triple Chick and Three Chicks. He raced 11 times, winning twice and earning $1,752 (about $16,300 today). He had an AAA speed rating, which was the second highest at the time. He also became an AQHA Champion show horse.
• Anchor Chic (born 1961): This male horse raced 16 times, winning three races and earning $2,126 (about $19,700 today). He had an AAAT speed rating.
• The Ole Man (born 1963): Chicado V didn't have a foal in 1962, but in 1963, she had The Ole Man. He was another full brother to Triple Chick, Three Chicks, and Chicado Chick. The Ole Man won two stakes races and six other races. He earned an AAAT speed rating and $20,657 (about $186,300 today). He also became a leading broodmare sire.
• Successor (born 1966): This male horse raced seven times but didn't win. He had an AA speed rating.
• Alisal (born 1968): Chicado V's last foal was this mare, who never raced.

Chicado V's foals won seven stakes races in total, earning $118,107 (about $993,900 today). Two of them earned AQHA Championships. Her daughter, Table Tennis, also became an excellent broodmare. Table Tennis had a foal named Rapid Volley, who then had a foal named Perks by Easy Jet. Perks also became a great broodmare, continuing the family's success.

But Chicado V is most famous for her sons who became important "sires," meaning fathers of many racehorses. Her three sons—Triple Chick, Three Chicks, and The Ole Man—were especially successful. Triple Chick's foals included both racehorses and show horses. Three Chicks fathered the famous All American Futurity winner Three Oh's. The Ole Man had 1,876 foals, including 15 stakes winners and 10 AQHA Champions.

Chicado V's Legacy

Chicado V passed away in February 1972. She was pregnant at the time. To honor her, a special stakes race at Los Alamitos Race Course was named after her, starting in 1960. In 2006, she was officially inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame. This shows how important and influential she was in the world of Quarter Horse racing and breeding.

Chicado V's Family Tree