Fio Rito, winner of the Inaugural Albany Handicap in 1978, closed his career with an historic upset in the 1981 Whitney (seen here), and a win in the Michigan Mile and 1/8th. (Bob Coglianese)
By Maribeth Kalinich
I wrote a story a few years back about a war horse named Grady who raced until age 11. A recent repost inspired a reader to ask about Grady’s victory in the 2000 Albany Handicap which was noted to be run at Golden Gate Fields.
In question was what relationship this had to the Albany Handicap that is run in New York as part of the Big Apple Triple inaugurated in 1999.
The Albany Handicap is the third and final leg of the Triple, a series of three races for New York-bred three-year-olds, which also includes the Mike Lee Handicap at Belmont Park and the New York Derby at Finger Lakes Racetrack.
But what does this have to do with Grady’s Albany in California?
It seems California also has a city named Albany near San Francisco and Golden Gate put on a race in the city’s honor.
But what about the New York Albany? There are still empty passages in its history.
The Modern Albany Handicap
The Albany Handicap was first run in 1978 at Saratoga and was also contested at both Aqueduct in 1980 and from 1982 to 1985, and Belmont in 1981 at varying distances before moving to back the Spa in 1986 at its current distance of 1 1/8 miles.
However, The New York Times published an article in 1948 with the headline: “Noble Impulse, 13-20 Favorite, Annexes Albany Handicap Easily at Jamaica”
The Times further noted: “Noble Impulse, a record-cracker in Maryland, didn’t have to exert himself very much to win the forty-sixth running of the Albany Handicap at Saratoga-at-Jamaica yesterday. He took the lead soon after the start of the six-furlong dash and went easily along in first place for the rest of the way, making good by about three lengths.”
46th edition? The race was inaugurated in 1902?
The Times stated the two-year-old colt won in front of a crowd of 19,309 for owner Cripin Oglebay, Cleveland industrialist and member of the Jockey Club.
Two-year-old? The current Albany is for three-year-olds and upward.
After contacting the NYRA Press Office, they could add no additional information regarding the mystery Albany.
There have been many notable winners including the formidable Fourstardave carrying a high weight of 126 pounds in 1988.
Gratian won the 2000 New York edition the same year Grady won the California version of the Albany at Golden Gate.
With Jerry Bailey aboard, the 2002 victor was Steve Asmussen trainee Private Emblem, putting his sire, Ogden Phipps’ Our Emblem, in the spotlight.
In 1993, Prospector’s Flag set the record for the modern distance at 1:48.73. In 2007, Lawyer Ron cracked that with a time of 1:46.64, setting the Saratoga track record for 1-1/8 miles.
Last year’s champion was Drake’s Passage, giving trainer Christophe Clement his second victory in the Albany, having won in 2018 with Sea Foam.
This year’s edition will be run at Saratoga on New York Showcase Day, Sunday, August 25th, the day following the prestigious Grade 1 Travers Stakes.
The Inaugural Albany Handicap at Saratoga
The winner of the inaugural Albany Handicap was Raymond J. LeCesse’s Fio Rito trained by Michael Ferrarro and ridden by Jacinto Vasquez. And they would set the bar very high for New York breeders.
In an age when Kentucky-breds were in the forefront, Fio Rito was “obscurely-bred” in New York. Sired by Dreaming Native, out of Seagret by Irish sire Sea Charger, Seagret was purchased at auction in foal for $2,300.
That purchase by Ray LeCesse would turn out to produce an “onery gray” who matured well and acclimated nicely to Upstate New York racing life at Finger Lakes.
Of his 50 career starts with 28 wins, Fio Rito would make 27 of those starts at Finger Lakes scoring 19 victories.
Once the gray colt tried other tracks, he shed his obscurity and put New York-breds on the national map.
Off at 10-1, Fio Rito went gate-to-wire, holding off Paul Mellon’s 3-2 favorite Winter’s Tale under the guidance of regular rider and local jockey Les Hulet to garner an upset victory in the Whitney (G1) at Saratoga.
It would be the first Grade 1 stakes won by any horse bred in the Empire State.
The New York Times reported: “In a dream come true for upstate breeders and racing fans, locally bred Fio Rito, owned by a bowling alley proprietor from Rochester upset horses owned by the Mellons and the Phipps.”
“This is unreal,” said trainer Ferraro to The Times.
“TV and the media made sort of a big deal for a horse to come from Finger Lakes and be a New York-bred too,” Ferraro said to North American Trainer Magazine. “It was kind of exciting for us to even compete in that race.”
With his victory in the Albany, Saratoga was the place that produced Fio Rito’s grandest moments.
As a two-year-old Fio Rito was third in the Aspirant.
In his sophomore year he would begin to shine.
In addition to winning the Albany, he won the New York Derby, New York Derby Prep and Colonel Pickering.
At four he was successful in the General Sullivan and Williamson Stakes.
Racing at age five, Fio Rito just got better and better, scoring the Hudson H., Bertram F. Bongard H., Joe Palmer H., Genesee Valley H., Williamson H., and Wadsworth Mem Cup H. carrying a staggering 138 lbs.
In his final year at age six, the bold gray also was victorious in the General Sullivan, Evan Shipman, as well as the Whitney (G1) and Michigan Mile And One-Eighth Handicap (G2).
The seasoned Fio Rito went on a six-race win streak that year setting Finger Lakes’ consecutive track records six days apart at six furlongs in 1:09 4/5 and 1mile 70 yards in 1:40 1/5.
Fio Rito would race at Aqueduct and Belmont as well as Saratoga, hitting the board 42 times with eight seconds and six third-place finishes in stakes with career earnings of $584,142 ($2.1 million in 2024 money).
Retiring at age six in 1981, the great grandson of Native Dancer was inducted into the Western New York’s inaugural Hall of Fame class of 1996 where the Finger Lakes pays tribute to the star.
Passing at age 21, Fio Rito rests in the Finger Lakes infield alongside another Albany winner, Tin Cup Chalice, who was trained and co-owned by LeCesse’s son, Mike.
In 2008, Tin Cup Chalice won the first Big Apple Triple. The filly came into the Albany against the boys unbeaten in her first six starts. She came out the first-ever winner of the Big Apple Triple, an accomplishment still unmatched through 2017.
Fio Rito’s spirit looms large at Finger Lakes whether it be in the fourth floor’s Fio Rito Room, the track’s Hall of Fame, or the large mural that illustrates the track’s history.
Breeder/owner Ray LeCessa, who died at the age of 88 in Rochester, told BloodHorse about the origins of the horse’s name.
“Foster Brooks (a comedian) is a friend of mine, and I almost named the colt Loveable Lush,” according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. “But another friend is Chris Fio Rito, a trumpet player in Las Vegas. He’s a racing nut and was constantly bugging me to name a horse after him.”
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