[QUOTE=Gestalt;3708274]
Glim, where does Spectacular Bid come in TCC’s breeding? I haven’t looked up anything, just curious. Thanks.[/QUOTE]
Tin Cup Chalice is out of the winning Spectacular Bid mare Twice Forbidden.
TCC is listed currently at 9-1 with Franklel’s Mast Track scratched
Ah sadly no miracles … he was swallowed in the stretch and looked to be eased. Finishing 2nd to last 
Very exciting race. Fantastic patient ride by French jock Cristophe Lemaire on the winner Kane Hekili (who bowed a tendon and was out for two years). Old Vermillion looked like he might be in the mix, but couldn’t find the final surge, still finished a respectable 3rd, one length off the winner.
The replay.
From the Daily Racing Form:
The Americans, who were running without the aid of race-day medication, really had no excuses. Of the Rick Dutrow Jr.-trained Frost Giant, Velasquez said: “He was quite nervous in the paddock and never settled down, jumping repeatedly in the gate. I was unable to control him throughout the race.”
Prado said that he "wanted to race Tin Cup Chalice just off the pace, but we had to go to the front as there was no one else willing to take the lead. The surface was deep but he didn’t seem to mind."
Sounds like Tin Cup became the sacrificial rabbit
So where did Casino Drive finish?
6th
TCC should be already back in New York and at Finger Lakes yesterday if not today.
In terms of his future see this article from the Daily Racing Form: 12-11-08 “Japan trip its own reward”
Though Tin Cup Chalice finished a disappointing 13th in the Japan Cup Dirt last weekend, trainer and part-owner Michael Lecesse said he was glad he made the trip.
“It was a great experience, I’d love to do it again,” Lecesse said Thursday from his home in Farmington, N.Y. The Japan Racing Association, he said, “is great - everything they do is second to none. They really know how to take care of their horsemen, their racing surface. The racing program is beautiful. They bet $160 million in the one race.”
Lecesse said Tin Cup Chalice was expected to arrive back in the United States from Japan on Thursday, and he would eventually return to Lecesse’s farm in upstate New York for a well-deserved break.
Lecesse reflected on the year Tin Cup Chalice put together, which included 6 wins from 7 starts in North America, including a sweep of the Big Apple Triple for New York breds - which earned Lecesse and part-owner Scott Van Laer a $250,000 bonus - as well as a victory in the Grade 2 Indiana Derby.
“Probably the only one that was a little bit of a surprise was the Indiana Derby,” Lecesse said. “He was up for every challenge that I gave him,”
Lecesse said Tin Cup Chalice would get a couple of months off at his farm, located less than two miles from Finger Lakes. Lecesse said he has not thought about what races he would like to make with Tin Cup Chalice next year, other than that he would like to run him once at Saratoga. Tin Cup Chalice won the Albany Handicap last August, a race that clinched the Big Apple Triple for 3-year-olds.
“That’s one of my goals, get him in his peak form for Saratoga,” Lecesse said.
There is nothing specifically for Tin Cup Chalice on the traditional Saratoga stakes schedule, but, more than likely, there will be an overnight stakes he could compete in. Lecesse said he’s not opposed to shipping Tin Cup Chalice somewhere for an open-company graded stakes if the situation is right.
“He’ll mainly stay on the NYRA circuit,” Lecesse said. “If he’s up for a challenge we’re up to taking him anyplace we need to go.”
Another thread found here already cites his passing of April 17, 2009; just updating the title of this thread.
I have few words for what is simply a dumbfounding accident which takes the life of such a lovely horse. A real kick in the stomach when I saw the news while in Lexington My thoughts go out to all with both horses - Zany and Tin Cup.
Mike MacAdam of The Daily Gazette (Schenectady NY) said it best with his article heading: “Lousy news from Finger Lakes”
Mike Lecesse, to his credit is very balanced about the whole matter:
Lecesse said he had entered Tin Cup Chalice in a race for Friday’s opening-day card at Finger Lakes, but the racing office didn’t use the race because it only had five horses.
“If he would have been in today, he wouldn’t have been on the track this morning,” said Lecesse, who added, “it’s nobody’s fault.”
ESPN’s Bill Finley had a nice note at the end of this article:
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/triplecrown09/columns/story?columnist=finley_bill&id=4086957
[I]It’s always a terrible story when a horse dies in a racing or training accident, but the story of Tin Cup Chalice is particularly heartbreaking.
The champion New York-bred 3-year-old of 2008, was killed last week in a freak accident at Finger Lakes. During what should have been a routine morning training session, he was barreled into by another horse, who was in the process of bolting. Tin Cup Chalice, a gelding, won eight of 10 career starts and earned $868,680.
Had some stables lost a horse like Tin Cup Chalice, they could easily regroup and reload. That can’t be said for trainer, breeder and co-owner Mike Lecesse. A little guy in a game dominated by the Todd Pletchers, Bobby Frankels and Steve Assmussens, he trains out of Finger Lakes and probably never dreamt he would come up with a horse this good. Aside from Tin Cup Chalice’s wins, he has never won a stakes race worth more than $50,000. For him and co-owner Scott Van Laer, this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime horse.[/I]
Bill Finley is always a classy guy who will give recognition to those horses who aren’t always the Phipps runners or trained by a Bob Baffert …
The home-town paper of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle Saturday Apri 18th had a very nice article on TCC.
As for his remains when they come back from Cornell University (for the insurance required necropsy) :
Fittingly, Tin Cup Chalice’s ashes will be buried in the track infield, not far from the finish line near the grave of the track’s first big star, Fio Rito. Fio Rito was owned by LeCesse’s father, Raymond.
The back ground on Fio Rito …
Fio Rito, however, stands above all others in Finger Lakes racing lore. In 1981, Fio Rito, a local-based horse, named New York State Horse of the Year in 1980, stepped into the national spotlight by winning the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga. Fio Rito dominated at Finger Lakes throughout his career, winning 19 of 27 starts. His overall career included 28 wins in 50 starts and $611,142 in earnings. Unfortunately, his career ended suddenly due to an injury suffered in the 1981 Woodward Stakes. Upon his passing in 1996 at the age of 21, Fio Rito was buried in the Finger Lakes infield- the only horse buried on the Finger Lakes grounds.
A little bit of light in a very dark tunnel: Mike, with Pedro up, won two top shelf (for Finger Lakes) allowance races over the past two days with a difficult but speedy Swing Lane, and a headstrong but immensely talented young Sportin’ Man. Atleast it’s a little something for Mike to keep his head up about. I spoke with him the day of the accident and he seemed to be handling things much better than most trainers would have. He’s a great trainer who actually listens to his riders as well as his horses and his day will come.
I was very saddened to read of this tragedy. My sympathies to all of Tin Cup’s connections, what a horrible accident…
[QUOTE=olympicdreams04;4039652]
A little bit of light in a very dark tunnel: Mike, with Pedro up, won two top shelf (for Finger Lakes) allowance races over the past two days with a difficult but speedy Swing Lane, and a headstrong but immensely talented young Sportin’ Man. Atleast it’s a little something for Mike to keep his head up about.[/QUOTE]
Lecesse seems to have a promising colt in Vital Argument, a 2yo son of Closing Argument. Broke his maiden impressively by more than 10 lengths first time out in September, and (at 15-1) ran very tough in the slop yesterday to just get nipped in the FL Juvenile Stakes.
Looking forward to a promising future! 
Sorry to dredge up this awful topic, but I’ve followed the career of Mike Lecesse’s Vital Argument (see my above note from last Nov.), and was concerned to see that the 3yo colt “went wrong” today in his first turf try today in Saratoga:
http://www.equibase.com/static/chart/pdf/SAR083010USA8.pdf
Reading the notes it’s clear that was something was amiss with VA for the whole race, and then things just got worse at the end.
Anyway, I know there are some plugged-in Finger Lakes folks on this board, so if anyone hears something about his status, please pass it along… thank you!
Wow, the length some horses will go to just to get rid of a lousy owner!
“I was on the phone telling this partner about the colic, and he said, ‘Listen, we’ve sunk so much money into this horse — just let him die,’” Van Laer said. "My wife and I were screaming into the phone, and he finally said, ‘Forget it, you can have my share.’
Glad he’s owned by people who now really love him.
Er, Susan? He died in April 2009. But he did have owners who loved him.
looks like we’re talking about 2 or 3 different horses here. susan, what horse was that quote in reference to?
I was working on the track the day TCC died… the word spread quickly; more for everyone to use caution, things can happen soooooooooooo UNexpectedly…!
and I was following TCC’s accomplishments…what a great horse!
but… I must thank you GG for posting the rest of the story…
sincerely.
and in a way, thanks RB for reminding us of such great horses that pass through our worlds.
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