Lucky Debonair

Lucky Debonair
Sire	Vertex
Grandsire	The Rhymer
Dam	Fresh as Fresh
Damsire	Count Fleet
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	May 2, 1962 [1]
Country	United States
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Danada Farm
Owner	Ada L. Rice Racing Stable
Trainer	Frank Catrone
Record	16: 9-3-0
Earnings	$370,960
Major wins
	San Vicente Handicap (1965); Santa Anita Derby, (1965); Blue Grass Stakes (1965); Santa Anita Handicap (1966)Contents Background ; Racing career ; Stud record ; Pedigree ; References ; Triple Crown race wins:; Kentucky Derby (1965)
Honours
	Lucky Debonair Court, Wheaton, Illinois

Last updated April 20, 2019

Lucky Debonair (May 2, 1962 – July 10, 1987) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1965 Kentucky Derby.

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are considered "hot-blooded" horses that are known for their agility, speed, and spirit.

Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic premise – to identify which of two or more horses is the fastest over a set course or distance – has been unchanged since at least classical antiquity.

Background

He was bred by owners Dan and Ada Rice of Wheaton, Illinois at their Danada Farm satellite operation on Old Frankfort Pike near Lexington, Kentucky, a property that once was part of the Idle Hour Stock Farm. Lucky Debonair was sired by Vertex out of the mare Fresh as Fresh, who was a daughter of the 1943 U.S. Triple Crown Champion Count Fleet.

Daniel F. Rice (1896–1975) and his wife Ada L. Rice (1898–1977) were American business people, thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders, and philanthropists. Dan Rice was educated in the public school system of Chicago, Illinois and spent two years at Depaul University and the University of Notre Dame. In 1919, he founded his own commodity brokerage, Daniel F. Rice and Company. His company became successful over the 35 years that he ran it. The company merged with Hayden, Stone & Co. in 1960. Rice later ran Rice Grain Corporation.

Wheaton is a suburban city in Milton and Winfield Townships and is the county seat of DuPage County, Illinois. It is located approximately 30 miles (48 km) west of Chicago. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 52,894, which was estimated to have increased to 53,469 by July 2012.

Lexington, Kentucky Consolidated city-county in Kentucky, United States

Lexington, consolidated with Fayette County and often denoted as Lexington-Fayette, is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 60th-largest city in the United States. By land area, Lexington is the 28th largest city in the United States. Known as the "Horse Capital of the World," it is the heart of the state's Bluegrass region. It has a nonpartisan mayor-council form of government, with 12 council districts and three members elected at large, with the highest vote-getter designated vice mayor. In the 2018 U.S. Census Estimate, the city's population was 323,780 anchoring a metropolitan area of 516,697 people and a combined statistical area of 746,330 people.

He was conditioned for racing by trainer Frank Catrone,

Frank Catrone, Jr. was an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey, who is best known for winning the 1965 Kentucky Derby as a trainer.

Racing career

As a two-year-old in 1964, Lucky Debonair made one start at the Atlantic City Race Course, where he finished out of the money. Sent to race in California at age three, the unheralded colt was ridden by Bill Shoemaker. He finished second in the San Felipe Stakes and won the San Vicente Handicap, both at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia. He was a supplementary entrant in the West Coast's most important race for three-year-olds, the Santa Anita Derby. Under Shoemaker, Lucky Debonair won the race by four lengths and set a new stakes record of 1:47.00, a time that as of 2008 has been equaled but not broken. He followed this victory with another very important win in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland Race Course and was made the second choice among bettors for the Kentucky Derby.

The Atlantic City Race Course (ACRC), formerly the Atlantic City Race Track, was a Thoroughbred horse race track located in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township, in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The track is located off the Black Horse Pike next to the Hamilton Mall. Despite the name, the facility is located 14 miles (23 km) from Atlantic City. The facility closed permanently in January 2015.

California is a state in the Pacific Region of the United States. With 39.6 million residents, California is the most populous U.S. state and the third-largest by area. The state capital is Sacramento. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second and fifth most populous urban regions, with 18.7 million and 9.7 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is California's most populous city, and the country's second most populous, after New York City. California also has the nation's most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The City and County of San Francisco is both the country's second-most densely populated major city after New York City and the fifth-most densely populated county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs.

William Lee "Bill" Shoemaker was an American jockey. For 29 years he held the world record for total professional jockey victories.

Lucky Debonair gave Shoemaker his third Derby win by defeating ten other top three-year-olds, including the heavily favored American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of 1964 Bold Lad (10th), the brilliantly fast Ogden Phipps colt Dapper Dan (2nd), future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Tom Rolfe (3rd), and Hail To All (5th). In the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, a bruised ankle that almost caused him to be withdrawn from the race contributed to Lucky Debonair finishing seventh. The colt did not run in the Belmont Stakes.

Bold Lad (1962–1986) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse.

Ogden Mills Phipps was an American stockbroker, court tennis champion and Hall of Fame member, thoroughbred horse racing executive and owner/breeder, and an art collector and philanthropist. In 2001, he was inducted into the International Court Tennis Hall of Fame.

Dapper Dan was an American racehorse who was bred by Dorothy Dorsett Brown and owned and raced by Ogden Phipps. He had an outstanding sophomore season, finishing second or fourth in five stakes races. The son of Ribot and grandson of Nasrullah is remembered for his closing finishes to place second in the 1965 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.

Lucky Debonair returned to racing at age four in 1966. He won three of five starts, including a win over Native Diver in California's prestigious Santa Anita Handicap.

Native Diver was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Native Diver's nicknames included "the Diver," "The California Comet" and "The Black Horse." Although he never won outside California or brought home any championships, he compiled more than thirty stakes wins.

The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during the winter racing season. The ten-furlong Santa Anita Handicap offers a purse of $1 million.

Stud record

Retired to stud duty at the Rices' farm in Kentucky, before being sent to Venezuela in 1976 when the then-widowed Ada Rice disbanded her racing stable. He produced fifteen stakes winners including the Irish Derby winner Malacate.

Lucky Debonair died of old age in 1987 at age twenty-five. On May 4, 2002, the city of Wheaton, Illinois honored him with a plaque and memorial rock at the Danada Equestrian Center.

Pedigree

Pedigree of Lucky Debonair (USA), bay stallion, 1962^[1]
Sire Vertex (USA) 1954	The Rhymer (USA) 1938	St Germans	Swynford
		St Germans	Hamoaze
		Rhythmic	Royal Minstrel
		Rhythmic	Rinkey
	Kanace (USA) 1945	Case Ace	Teddy
		Case Ace	Sweetheart
		Kanlast	Kantar
		Kanlast	Last Light
Dam Fresh As Fresh (USA) 1957	Count Fleet (USA) 1940	Reigh Count	Sunreigh
		Reigh Count	Contessina
		Quickly	Haste
		Quickly	Stephanie
	Airy (USA) 1945	Bull Lea	Bull Dog
		Bull Lea	Rose Leaves
		Proud One	Blenheim
		Proud One	Some Pomp (Family 3-d)^[2]

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References

1 2 "Lucky Debonair pedigree". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
↑ "Brown Bess - Family 3-d". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.

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[pedigree-1] 1 2 "Lucky Debonair pedigree". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2012-07-20.

[tbl-2] "Brown Bess - Family 3-d". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.