Dispersal Sales Overview
In 1975, the Danada racing and breeding operation entered its final chapter. In a carefully staged series of public and confidential auctions handled by the Fasig-Tipton Company, Mrs. Ada L. Rice dispersed virtually all of her Thoroughbred holdings.
Contemporary coverage in The Blood-Horse recorded the scale of it. All but four horses went through the ring. The remaining four were the cornerstone stallions of the Danada program, sold separately in a confidential “courtesy” auction.
Every horse offered was a Danada homebred. Each had won stakes in the 1960s and had stood at Mrs. Rice’s Lexington nursery, Danada Farm, which she had already announced would be sold. When it was over, Fasig-Tipton president John Finney estimated the total value of Mrs. Rice’s stock at about $5.5 million, with the confidential auction for Danada horses, stallion shares, and breeding rights alone bringing in $3,254,400.
Fasig-Tipton Dispersal Sales, 1975
Belmont Park Sale – October 15, 1975
All breeding and racing stock owned by Ada L. Rice was consigned to Fasig-Tipton in 1975 and sold in stages.
The first sale took place on October 15, 1975, at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
That session saw 37 head sell for a gross of $1,284,500, averaging $34,716 per horse.
This opening sale marked the public start of the dispersal and signaled that Danada’s Thoroughbred operation, long respected on both the track and in the breeding shed, was winding down.
Newton Paddocks Sale – November 8, 1975 (Lexington, KY)
Except for the four major stallions, the rest of the Danada stock was cataloged in Fasig-Tipton of Kentucky’s sale at Newton Paddocks on November 8, 1975.
This offering included:
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3 stallions (including Twogundan)
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50 broodmares
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27 weanlings
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23 yearlings
Three stallions owned by Danada, among them Twogundan, were sold in this November 8 sale. The exact gross for these stallions is not preserved in the archives, but this auction effectively cleared out the breeding and young stock that had not already gone through Belmont.
Taken together, the Belmont and Newton Paddocks sessions dissolved the day-to-day racing and breeding side of Danada, leaving only the key stallions to be handled separately.
“Courtesy” Stallion Auction – November 10, 1975
The four principal Danada stallions were considered important enough to be handled outside a standard public ring.
On November 10, 1975, at Fasig-Tipton’s Lexington office, the stallions
Lucky Debonair, Pia Star, Delta Judge, and Advocator were offered in a confidential “courtesy” auction.
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Danada held a two-thirds interest in Delta Judge through a syndicate.
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In that auction, Delta Judge and Advocator did not meet their reserve prices, so ownership arrangements were restructured rather than simply sold off in full.
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Lucky Debonair and Pia Star did change hands, with their buyers indicating that each stallion would be syndicated.
This confidential sale completed the dispersal at the stallion level and repositioned each horse at new farms, with new ownership structures, while closing the Danada era.
Stallion Profiles And Dispersal Outcomes
Lucky Debonair
Lucky Debonair was one of the defining horses of Danada.
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Major wins included the 1965 Kentucky Derby, 1965 Santa Anita Derby, and the 1966 Santa Anita Handicap.
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He retired with earnings of $370,962.
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Bred as a 13-year-old son of Vertex out of Fresh as Fresh (by Count Fleet).
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Half-brother to Lady Love, winner of the Top Flight Handicap, who herself topped a Fasig-Tipton fall mixed sale at $225,000.
At the time of the dispersal, Lucky Debonair had already sired nine added-money winners, including Mr. Lucky Phoenix and Lucky Caper in 1975.
In the confidential sale, Lucky Debonair was purchased by Amin Saidan. He was scheduled to move to Haras San Isidro near Caracas, Venezuela, for the 1976 breeding season. The price realized for the stallion was not publicly disclosed, but the buyer made clear that Lucky Debonair would be syndicated in his new role.
Pia Star
Pia Star was another cornerstone of the Danada stallion roster.
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He earned $306,240 on the track.
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A 14-year-old stallion at the time of sale.
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Bred as a son of Olympia out of Inquisitive (by Mahmoud).
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His race record included victories in the 1965 Suburban Handicap, Brooklyn Handicap, and Equipoise Mile Handicap, as well as the 1966 Widener Handicap.
Pia Star had become a productive sire, credited with 10 stakes winners, including:
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Star Envoy
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Impecunious
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Piamem
He also sired 1975 added-money winners such as:
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Star of Kuwait
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Charger’s Star
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Speedy Dakota (in France)
In the dispersal, Pia Star was acquired by Jim and Pat Thompson. He was set to stand at their Ridgeway Farm near Hemet, California, beginning with the 1976 season. As with Lucky Debonair, the exact sale price for Pia Star was not disclosed, and the buyers planned to syndicate him.
Delta Judge
Delta Judge represented both a racing and breeding success story.
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A 15-year-old son of Traffic Judge out of Beautillion (by Noor).
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Winner of three stakes races, including the 1964 Fall Highweight Handicap.
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Career earnings of $159,762.
As a stallion, Delta Judge had become a powerful name in pedigrees. By 1975 he had sired 18 stakes winners, among them:
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Double Delta
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Spout
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Eustace
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Judgable
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Delta Sal
He also sired 1975 added-money winners such as:
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Spout (Alabama Stakes, Grade I)
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Eustace (Hopeful Stakes, Grade I)
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Nile Delta
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Delta Oil
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Red Cross
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Proud Delta
Following the confidential auction, Delta Judge was slated to stand the 1976 season at Leslie Combs II’s Spendthrift Farm near Lexington. The existing syndicate structure remained intact. Mrs. Rice’s 20 shares were to be used to sell seasons, rather than liquidate her entire interest outright.
His stud fee for that 1976 season was set at $15,000, live foal, a figure that reflected both his record on the track and his consistent output in the breeding shed.
Advocator
Advocator was another top-class Danada stallion with a strong record and a deep stakes résumé.
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A 12-year-old son of Round Table out of Delta Queen (by Bull Lea).
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Winner of the 1965 Cowdin Stakes.
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Captured the 1967 Toboggan Handicap, Seminole Handicap, and Westchester Stakes.
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Won the 1968 Sunrise Handicap.
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Placed in 14 additional added-money events, including the 1966 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.
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Career earnings of $388,658.
At stud, Advocator became sire of major winners including:
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Agitate
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Just the Time
He also sired other stakes winners such as:
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Copeton
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Carry the Banner
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Clan Royal
Under the arrangements following the 1975 dispersal, Advocator joined Delta Judge at Spendthrift Farm for the 1976 season. He was to be syndicated, with Mrs. Rice retaining a significant interest, as explained by John Finney. This allowed Danada to step back from direct stallion management while still participating in the commercial value of seasons.
Significance Of The Dispersal
The 1975 dispersal of the Danada horses did more than close out a stable roster. It marked the end of Danada as an active Thoroughbred powerhouse and redistributed decades of breeding decisions into new hands, new farms, and new regions.
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The Belmont and Newton Paddocks sales moved the bulk of the mares, young stock, and lesser stallions.
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The confidential Lexington auction shifted the flagship stallions to international and national breeding centers.
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The combined estimated value, around $5.5 million, reflects the weight Danada carried in the industry at that time.
This page preserves that turning point in detail, so that visitors can trace not only the history of Danada’s horses, but also what became of them as they carried the Danada bloodlines into programs across the United States and beyond.
