The Whitney Set the Die
By Marilyn Lane

There is nothing that expands life any more quickly than to suddenly become involved with an elite horse.  It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the game, the ride to the top is a wild and crazy run.  When you’re the breeder, owner, and trainer, the trip is exhilarating and beyond description. Horses have a way of setting dreams on fire, and for Mike LeCesse the torch has been carried all the way to Japan.

Mike LeCesse with Tin Cup Chalice at Finger Lakes

Mike has trained for 25 years – he presently has 55 head in training and owns all or part of 28 horses of all ages.  As a young man he studied accounting in college, but couldn’t find fulfillment there so instead decided to read condition books for a living.  He’s started a lot of horses over the years and perennially wins his share of races.  An unremarkable bay colt came along last year and altered the class of races Mike was accustomed to winning. Tin Cup Chalice broke his maiden at Finger Lakes by an impressive 15 and a 1/4 lengths.  This was the start of what has turned out to be the ride of a lifetime for the veteran trainer.
 
There’s an old adage in racing that says “don’t turn down a big profit on a horse.”  Mike’s long seasoning was not going to allow him to be foolish.  After Tin Cup’s auspicious start someone did make him an offer, but the veteran trainer sensed he had something special and didn’t pursue the validity of that offer.  Instead he vetted Tin Cup Chalice.  His experience told him, there would be others looking to buy the impressive New York-bred, and besides Mike already had a partner in Tin Cup.  Scott Van Laer, a New York Forest Ranger owned 50% of him.

While the two partners discussed the possibilities of what to do next, another of Mike’s owners threw in an offer to buy a percentage of the gelding.  They decided to sell 25%, figuring that would cover their expenses and they would still own controlling interest.  When the x-rays showed a chip in the knee, the offer fizzled.  Mike’s vet issued confidence that the horse should race soundly in spite of the chip.  A little wind was taken from their sails, but a few weeks later they were flying high when Tin Cup ran away with the Finger Lakes Juvenile Stakes. Scott and Mike were dually rewarded since they jointly owned Tin Cup’s dam, Twice Forbidden.  This was her second stakes winner.  Don Corleone, her ’01 Incurable Optimist colt was her first.  He won the New York Derby in 2004, and that was the win that prompted Scott to become partners with Mike on Twice Forbidden.

It’s a bit of a conundrum to have what appears to be a stone-cold runner at a smaller track, and the riddle gets more complicated when it’s a gelding by an unfashionable sire.  Hope for a big sale was doubtful once word circulated that the horse had a “knee.”  Around the racetrack, news travels fast.  The partners had little choice but to continue racing their bay home-bred.

The Fingers Lake racing season was about to close down and Tin Cup was given time off.   Nothing makes a racehorse faster than just talking about his ability, but you don’t know what you’ve got until you line them up in the gate.  Many precocious two-year-olds have disappointed at three.

Tin Cup made his ’08 debut at Finger Lakes with Pedro Rodriguez in the irons. The dreams of winter caught fire when Tin Cup was able to overcome a rough trip to win going away.  The Finger Lakes team added one more win at home before heading off to Belmont Park for the Mike Lee, the first leg of the OTB Big Apple Triple.

The New York State Thoroughbred Breeding and Racing Program offers a $250,000 bonus for winning a selected three races-- the Mike Lee at Belmont Park, the New York Derby at Finger Lakes and the Albany Handicap at Saratoga.  The award had stayed safely in the bank since its inception in 1999.

Mike sent his long-time assistant Jan Keuer to Belmont for the Mike Lee.  Jan is a life-long horsewoman, her Dad worked for trainer Mike Ferraro Sr.  She has owned a few runners through the years and just recently retired a nice little horse she claimed for $5,000 at Philly Park.  He ran out something close to $45,000 before going a little wrong.  Jan looks after her horses even after their racing days end. Fierce Storm is now with a friend and learning to become a roping horse.  Between lessons he’s out in a pasture with a bunch of cows and according to Jan, “loving his new life.”  The consummate horsewoman plans to invest her ’08 stakes money in another claimer.

Jan’s logged a lot of miles on the backside of Finger Lakes, and spent her share of time vanning to Philadelphia Park, but a frequent flyer she is not.  She flew from Rochester, NY to JFK last summer in her first-ever flight. The trip was worth it, Tin Cup won the Mike Lee. One-third of the Big Apple Triple was in the bag.

Tin Cup Chalice winning the Mike Lee at Belmont Park

An undefeated horse creates a special wave of excitement and adds drama to every start.  The next race for the bay front-runner was the New York Derby, and Tin Cup did his connections proud.  Everyone loves to win in front of the home crowd. Two-thirds of the Triple was history.  All that was left was to take the Albany.  But Saratoga is SARATOGA, “the Graveyard of Champions.”

Man ‘o’ War suffered his only defeat in Saratoga’s Sanford Memorial.  The aptly named Upset was the winner.  A side-story is that H.P. Whitney was so thrilled to have defeated “de mostest hoss that ever wuz” that he staked his key personnel in a manner not known to have happened before or since.  He gave them each a house!  One such house was given to Upset’s blacksmith, and that man was New York State Governor Paterson’s great-grandfather.  The brownstone stood in what is now the Fort Green section of Brooklyn.

Secretariat was alarmingly defeated in the Whitney Stakes by The Giant Killer, (Allen Jerkens).  Onion caused fans’ eyes to water throughout the grandstand.   Mack Miller’s Java Gold left Alysheba and Bet Twice in his wake in the muddy ‘87 Travers.  Many other sure things have tasted upset at the hallowed oval.  The Finger Lakes team was well aware of how hard it is to win at Saratoga.  

Tin Cup and Pedro Rodriguez. The Albany Stakes at Saratoga

They entered the gate with Pedro wearing the white Saratoga house silks.  They were lined up against a formable field, and felt their Finger Lakes heritage to the bone.  But when the Albany Stakes was over, their undefeated record was left unblemished.  They beamed with pride and rushed to the winner’s circle.  Mike now had two wins at Saratoga. He won with a first-time starter named Cargo Ship a few years back, and according to Mike, “It was the most exciting win I had because everyone wants to win at Saratoga.”  Now he had two wins at the SPA and some serious money in his pocket too.  Tin Cup’s earnings soared to over a half-million with this record-setting score.  Not bad for a little horse who as a baby tried twice to die, received no bids at auction, and as a two-year-old flunked his x-rays.  Some things are all in the cards.

Tin Cup was sent back to Belmont to run in the Step Nicely Stakes.  He got away poorly, and ended up a neck short of another victory.  His unbeaten record was no longer intact but eyes remained cast toward a start in a graded stakes event.

Three weeks later, Tin Cup Chalice went to the Indiana Derby.  The speedy colt displayed agility in negotiating the tight turns of Hoosier Park’s 7/8 track.  He led at every pole and added a prestigious Grade 2 stakes to his résumé.  The beat carried Mike and his crew back to the grandstand after the races to join fans at a Trisha Yearwood concert.  You have to love this kind of enthusiasm. 

Mike said of his experience at Hoosier, “The racing industry should go there and take lessons from the folks in Indiana.  They really know how to treat people.  Our time there was so special.”  The Indiana Derby boosted Tin Cup’s earnings to over $868,000 and appreciably increased the value of his dam. Tin Cup and his connections lend enthusiasm to other New York breeders.  These kinds of successes arouse enthusiasm in any fan who aspires to someday own a horse.

Mike proudly says, “To me, Finger Lakes is the backbone of the New York breeding program.  There are plenty of owners and breeders that need the chance to get some money back.  That way, they can continue to re-invest back into breeding better horses.” Sometimes in racing we fail to give proper notice to the smaller tracks. There are interesting accomplishments earned in racing at every level. Tin Cup Chalice is not the first horse to take modest beginnings to higher levels and he won’t be the last.  Is he a modern day Seabiscuit?  No, he found success early and with his original trainer.  But, like the wobbly-kneed Seabiscuit, this unlikely hero is adding balm to sores rubbed raw by economic stress.  I know I feel better since visiting him at Finger Lakes.  Perhaps I’m just more comfortable now that I have a tin cup. Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack gave each ThoroFan guest one of the promotional pieces.  This same style cup was very popular back in Seabiscuit’s day!

Promotional cup from Finger Lakes

When asked what he planned to do with his cup full of earnings, Mike replied, “I’ll invest it back in the business; I’ve already purchased a Eurosizer.”  Mike owns a twenty-three acre farm just a mile outside the Finger Lakes gate.  This is the same guy who in 1979, borrowed money to claim Mickey’s Mystery for $3500.  The banker may see Mike differently these days but Mike’s goals remain the same.  He says, “All I want to do is train horses.”

When asked how an elite horse has changed his life Mike replied. “Not much really, I still have the same owners and none of that is likely to change.  One neat thing is that a lot of people from the past have gotten in touch with me.  I really like that.  The ironic thing is that if this horse hadn’t been a gelding, I wouldn’t own him today.  Someone would have put up an offer I couldn’t refuse.”  Then, with a smile on his face, he just shook his head.   

Mike spent the winter of ‘79 in California working for a former Van Berg protégé, Loren Rettele.  Loren was pointing Golden Act for the Kentucky Derby.  The following spring, Mike returned to Finger Lakes and Loren went to the Fair Grounds.  He won the Louisiana Derby with Golden Act, and four weeks later the chestnut colt scored a big win under Sandy Hawley in the Arkansas Derby.  On the first Saturday in May young Retelle led Golden Act over for the Run for the Roses. He ran a big race and finished  3rd. General Assembly was second, but it was Tin Cup Chalice’s maternal grandsire, Spectacular Bid who showed the world what a runner he really was.   Bid’s dominating style led his trainer Bud Delp to say, “He’s the greatest horse ever to look through a bridle.”  A winter in CA as Rettele’s swing groom was Mike’s first experience with an elite horse, but his love of the game had begun years earlier.

His father Raymond raced harness horses including Polaris, who in ’66, was second in two heats of the Hamiltonian.  After he bought North Park Lanes, a bowling alley in Rochester, he could no longer get away to watch the trotters at night.  His interest drifted over to Thoroughbreds, they raced in the afternoon.  Eventually Raymond bought a farm and as he says, “I didn’t know anything about owning horses and I never trained horses, I just liked them.” 

After Raymond bought the farm he asked the previous owners to hold a dispersal sale of the horses on-site.  An in-foal mare was about to go in the ring, her name was Seagret.  “I don’t know what I was thinking—I just decided to bid on her,” said Raymond.  The hammer fell at $2500 and Raymond owned a mare. “I was offered $3,500 later on, but I turned it down for whatever reason and sent the mare to a friend, Tony Brown.  I told him that if the foal turned out to be a gray, to keep sending me the bills.  Otherwise he could sell it.”  He said, “I always kept at least one gray in my stable, if I’d lose one I’d claim another.  At the time I was without a gray so it was only natural I’d keep a gray foal.”  A fairy tale was born when the foal turned out to be gray.

Raymond sent his colt to Michael Ferraro Sr.  He named him after the bandleader Ted Fio Rito, whose biggest hits were “My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii”, and “I’ll String Along with You.”  Raymond met the bandleader at the track and they became friends.  Like Tin Cup Chalice, Fio Rito was Finger Lakes Horse of the Year.  Hopefully Tin Cup will repeat like Fio Rito did.  The gray horse was FL Horse of the Year from 1979-81, and New York Horse of the Year in 1980-81.  Tin Cup Chalice can also carry a tune.  He’s named after a Jimmy Buffett song. If he only knew the fanfare Tin Cup creates, he might grab his blender and come to the races!

Fio Rito winning the Whitney Stakes. Saratoga, 1981

Fio Rito’s crowning moment was when he went wire to wire in the Whitney as a six-year-old.  Larry LaBelle, former Saratoga City Judge and rabid racing fan was at the races that day and reported, “The big rangy-gray from Finger Lakes was unbelievable, nobody was going to head him that day.  He ran like he was possessed.”  Fio Rito had put New York-breds on the map and just as importantly he cast a spotlight on New York’s bread and butter track, Finger Lakes.  This was the first major Grade 1 victory by a horse bred in the Empire State.  Mike had seen Loren Retelle take a modestly-bred horse and accomplish great things and now his own father had taken Saratoga’s signature race for older horses with a horse that was ever so fortuitously born gray.  Mike’s plan for becoming an accountant was in peril.  The die was set for him to train horses.  His father said, “You’re crazy to do this, it’s a tough game.”  But Mike wouldn’t be dissuaded.  Yet no one is happier about that now than his own father.  Mike figures to be pretty pleased about it too.

Fio Rito finished his career with 28 wins in 50 starts and earned nearly $600,000.  He won 16 races labeled as stakes or handicaps from distances of 51/2 furlongs to a mile and a quarter.  He won the Wadsworth Memorial carrying 138 pounds!  Fio Rito is a deserving legend in the annals of the New York breeding program and the only horse buried in the infield at Finger Lakes.  He died at age 21 in 1996. 

One note consistent with the three elite horses in Mike’s background is the common thread of their sires.  None of them were marquee stallions, and yet they still made names for themselves.  Fio Rito got his gray coat from his sire, Dreaming Native, but his winning ways came from some place other.  The son of Native Charger had lifetime earnings of $13,712, and I can’t find anyone who can name another of his foals.  Golden Act was by the CA-based Gummo, and before Flying Paster and Golden Act came along to bolster his image, he stood for $1000.  Tin Cup Chalice’s sire Crusader Sword is a little long in the tooth to warrant a big jump in business, but if he were younger, offers would surely emerge.  He’s already had a million-dollar winner and Tin Cup is now also fast approaching that plateau.  Crusader Sword went to the post 21 times for the Mack Miller/Paul Mellon team and took them to the winner’s circle on 6 of those occasions. At two, he won the Saratoga Special with Robbie Davis in the irons, and on the last Saturday of the meet, Randy Romero guided him home on top in the prestigious Hopeful Stakes.  Crusader Sword went to stud carrying a bankroll of $327,476.  Gary Least II acquired Crusader from Questroyal and was delighted to add him to his stallion roster.  His Geneseo, NY farm is located only a Belmont’s distance from where Fio Rito was born. The Grand Old Man, or “Old Man” as Gary’s mom calls him receives fan mail.  He’ll receive much more of it, if his upstart son keeps returning to the winner’s circle.  Dennis Hogan traveled to Foggy Bottom to visit Crusader Sword and his proud owners.   Reading his interview is tantamount to a guide on how to handle an aging stallion.  Crusader serves as a teaser for the other stallions at Foggy Bottom. He can spot a mare that’s ready to breed without leaving his feed.  He’s still booked to a limited number of mares, but none too tall and he leaves the maidens for his younger stable-mates.  When asked what he’s like to handle, Mrs. Least replied, “the easiest, you could breed him on a shoestring.  He’s a gentleman.”  That’s the reward for having a stallion with a keen sense of when his amorous attentions are welcomed.  Senator Federico Tesio (breeder of Nearco and Ribot) would nod his head in approval of the breeding practices at Foggy Bottom.  “The Wizard of Dormello,” held by most as the outstanding breeder of all time also favored “natural selection.”

Foggy Bottoms Crusader Sword

I drove over to Finger Lakes to meet Mike and hear his story.  I’m glad I did.  We were at the track by 7:00 a.m. on a cold rainy November morning, but from the time we arrived at Mike’s barn there was nothing but warm receptions from everyone.  I had a whole team with me.  Dennis Hogan was lugging his cameras, and Myrna Sak was trying to traverse the muddy backside in sling-back heels while keeping the tape-recorder dry.  Marty Farnsworth had her Highclere jacket to protect her from the pounding rain.  She was a long ways from Newmarket, but Marty never misses a chance to see a high-class racehorse.  We watched Tin Cup jog a mile and gallop another before ducking back under the shed.  Mike introduced us to everyone.  Tin Cup was bathed and cooling out around the shed row as I continued asking Mike questions.  His cell phone rang every few minutes—“No, leave Pedro on him. Let me see about that horse in the 3rd, I’ll talk to his agent and get back to you.” Mike was patient with my questions and with the calls that just kept on coming, “Yea, get the blacksmith over here, we’re going to need to change the shoes on em’, this rain isn’t stopping.”  Then he added, “That’s Bob Leonard walking him.  He used to be a trainer and I worked for him.  Now he works with me.”

Tin Cup Chalice & Pedro Rodriguez on the Finger Lakes training track

When asked what it feels like to be living this dream Mike said, “To tell you the truth, I’m numb.”  It’ll hit me when it all slows down.”  “I’m going to take a string to Aqueduct this winter.  I usually turn out after Finger Lakes and train at home in the winter.  I have a 1/2 mile track and a 1/5 of a mile indoor jogging track.”   Mike is clearly concerned about changing his routine and racing at the Big A.  “It costs so much to get a place down there, and the price of feed - everything is sky high.  It’s going to be tough, but I gotta’ try it.”  In the past whenever Mike shipped downstate to run, he stabled his horses with his good friend and fellow-trainer, Allen Iwinski.  This time he’ll be taking his own crew.

I asked Mike, “What is your biggest dream.”  He was quick to reply, “If I could win the Whitney, it would be my greatest thrill.  I’d love to see my father relive a moment that he experienced 27 years ago.”  Our time didn’t allow for all the questions, but I’m going to guess that Mike sees endless comparisons between his big horse and Fio Rito.

Fio Rito was a front-runner, and like Tin Cup won sprinting but could carry his speed over a distance as well.  In Fio Rito’s Whitney, every pole was a winning one.  The Finger Lakes jock, Leslie Hulet rode him.  Pedro Rodriguez has ridden Tin Cup in all of his 2008 races.  Mike sticks with formulas that work.  He may not have pursued accounting for a career but it’s clear that careful calculations figure closely in his training decisions.  Like most lovers of racing, he is not afraid to dream.  When crunching numbers, you hope a line of figures adds correctly, but in racing hope carries a larger part of the equation. 

The other key figure in racing is your crew and Mike is clearly proud of his. He seemed to beam when talking of sending his valued assistant off to Japan, and on her second airline trip.  He said, “Jan’s father ran the farm for my dad.  It’s ironic that she works for me now.  She’s been with me a long time, ten years maybe.  I invited her to work for me at least twice before she finally accepted. Yea, my crew, I’ve known most of them a long time.”

Tin Cup Chalice with Pedro Rodriguez and Jan Keuer

Mike said, “When I first got a call inviting me to bring my horse to Japan, I thought it was a joke.  I mean, you know how racetrackers are, always joking around.  I thought some of the guys were just pulling my leg.”  I asked, “What did you think when you realized the offer was real?”  He said, “Well, I gotta’ go there.  I mean, they’re paying everything for me, the horse and my help, everybody.  The purse is over $2 million and my horse, he’s doing good. I gotta’ go.”

Tin Cup Chalice at Hanshin Race Course, Japan

At the time of this interview Pedro Rodriguez was having difficulty obtaining his visa to travel to Japan.  Several of Mike’s phone calls during our interview were attempts to expedite the necessary paperwork to provide Pedro the ability to join the rest of the Finger Lakes team. 

I’ve just learned that Pedro was unable to get to Japan and that Edgar Prado will pick up the reins on Tin Cup Chalice.  This has to be painful for Pedro and disappointing for every one, but they must feel relieved to know the “Big Horse” will be in the capable hands of America’s latest Hall of Fame inductee.  I talked with Edgar’s agent, Bob Frieze and they are very excited for the opportunity to ride Tin Cup Chalice.  Edgar has ridden several horses in Japan-let’s hope he enjoys a fast trip on Tin Cup.

Mike’s dad can’t travel the distance but you can bet he’ll be staying up late next Saturday night.  He says, “We’re having a lot of fun.  I had my good horse, and now I am living vicariously through my son.  He’s got a good horse, too.”

The Whitney Set the Die is Part II of the Tin Cup Chalice trilogy. Part III will be written by Dennis G. Hogan, and focus on Tin Cup’s regular rider Pedro Rodriguez.

Marilyn Lane is a freelance writer residing in Saratoga Springs, NY.  Her articles have appeared in the Post-Star, Saratoga Summer, Saratoga Today, and The New York Breeders News Notes.  She can be reached at mlane@thorofan.com

Photo credits: ©dghphoto.com; ©M. Bolles/Creative Photo & Graphic; ©Adam Coglianese; ©Michale Glennon, 2008.
Editorial Assistance: Dennis G. Hogan