.Tin Cup Chalice in training accident.

[bushwick]

Hit head on by working horse who blew turn. What a tragedy. Will update later.

[FantasticDan]

I assume since you call it a "tragedy" that the horse has been seriously injured or killed? I pray neither is so...

Goddamn it. Tin Cup is my favorite horse. And here I am getting ready to head out to Finger Lakes for opening day.. :( :(

[FlyinLate]

Best wishes to him and his connections. Hopefully he'll be OK.

[Figman]

The sad news..........Tin Cup Chalice while exercising was run into by the bolting horse Zanie. Accident occurred requiring euthanasia of both. Tin Cup Chalice will be transported to Cornell Vet Hospital for necropsy.

[FantasticDan]

Unbelievable. What a nightmare for poor Tin Cup and his connections. He wouldn't have even been out there had the race he'd been entered in for today not been scratched due to lack of entries. :(

[toussaud]

that is very sad

[Ian Meyers]

Wow. That is terribly sad. I'm pretty sure I saw each of his career starts as he ascended the class ladder. Really tragic news. :(

[Figman]

Tin Cup Chalice (foaled in the state of New York on April 3, 2005), is the first New York-bred to win New York’s “OTB Big Apple Triple" of Racing: the Mike Lee Handicap, the New York Derby, and the Albany Stakes at varying distances all in one year: 2008. In the Albany, ridden by regular jockey Pedro Rodriguez, he defeated Icabad Crane and Big Truck, both New York-breds and both recently off the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing trail.
Tin Cup Chalice is by the Grade I winner Crusader Sword (whose own sire is the great Damascus by Sword Dancer. Crusader Sword was the only son of Damascus when he stood in the Northeast. Tin Cup Chalice’s dam is Twice Forbidden, out of the first New York crop of Spectacular Bid who had been relocated from Claiborne Farm to the Miller Farm in 1992. Twice Forbidden also produced stakes winner, Don Corleone. Both Damascus and “The Bid” were Horses of the Year. All in all, Tin Cup Chalice, offered for $2,000 at the New York Breeders’ Sales Company 2005 October mixed sale, comes from a formidable family.
Named for a Jimmy Buffett song (although in the tradition of working out Thoroughbred names from their sire and dam’s names, Crusader Sword and Twice Forbidden seems a subtle way to achieve Tin Cup Chalice), Tin Cup Chalice is a black-pointed Bay making his home base at Finger Lakes race track (where America’s great loser Zippy Chippy was a stable pony).
The colt nearly died twice before he was a year old, once from a case of botulism and once from a bout with horse colic. He’s also from the same female family as Silky Sullivan, the “come-from-the-clouds” California fan favorite back in 1957 and 1958, and after Silky, is probably the most talented. But even as the half-bother of Don Corleone, no one put in so much as a bid when he appeared in the ring at the 2006 New York Breeders Sale at Saratoga possibly because his sire hadn’t yet produced anything really exciting except the multiple graded stakes winner Isitingood in 1991, or possibly because Tin Cup Chalice was small and narrow and had come too near death too often to inspire confidence.
To take the Albany and with it the Triple Crown of New York-breds, Tin Cup Chalice had to step up in class. Before the race he'd faced only New York-breds, or lesser-quality stakes horses, in his short career. In the Albany, he went up against top national competition. His co-owner, breeder and trainer, Mike Lecesse of Farmington, New York, said, “I know one thing. I wouldn’t bet against a horse that’s undefeated.”
In his first start outside New York and in graded stakes company, Tin Cup Chalice won the Indiana Derby. Against the likes of the deep closer Pyro (who came up fast to place), he clicked off splits of :23.20, :48.20 and 1:13.40. In his only defeat, he placed in the Step Nicely Stakes at Belmont Park.
In late October 2008, the trainer and co-owner Mike Lecesse was contacted by Japanese racing officials about his horse racing in the Japan Cup Dirt (JPN-G1) with all expenses paid for Tin Cup Chalice to compete. The race, worth $USD 2.4 million, took place on December 7th at Hanshin Racecourse.
The Japan Cup Dirt is run clockwise around the oval (as English races are run, and as American races once were run before the Revolutionary War) so Tin Cup Chalice was tested, as a requirement of the Japan Racing Club, to determine his ability to adapt to running against his usual direction. That workout, held November 5th, was successful and he was shipped to Japan...arriving after a 24 hour-flight from Rochester, New York on November 20, 2008.
At the Hanshin Racecourse on December 1, 2008 Tin Cup Chalice worked at 5 furlongs in 59.10 seconds.
While Pedro Rodriguez has been the regular rider for Tin Cup Chalice, and was to travel to Japan, he encountered Visa/Passport issues and was not successful in obtaining a permit. Accordingly Edgar Prado, already in Japan for the World Super Jockey Series, picked up the mount and worked with the New York-bred in the days prior to the Japan Cup Dirt.
Pedro Rodriguez was taken to the Rochester hospital following today’s fatal accident when Tin Cup Chalice was run into while training by another horse from another stable. Ironically,this is opening day of the new season at Finger Lakes and Tin Cup Chalice was entered in the feature race but had little competition also entered so that race was not used. He was killed when in the middle of his substitute training routine.

[Stevie Belmont]

Bad News

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/racing-news/2009/April/17/Tin-Cup-Chalice-euthanized.aspx (http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/racing-news/2009/April/17/Tin-Cup-Chalice-euthanized.aspx)

[joanied]

What an absolute horror...I can't imagine how folks that witneesed that collision felt...myGod...I can't even finds words to express myself.

May Tin Cup and the other horse involved RIP
:( :( :(

[jognlope]

Tin Cup, you will be missed sorely, you were so honest and professional and so beautiful, too.

[FantasticDan]

DRF's article:

http://www.drf.com/news/article/103045.html

My wife and I decided to still go to Finger Lakes' opening day, altho we were pretty much in a daze the whole day. The same can be said for many of the people there, as I overheard countless conversations of people discussing the accident and commiserating with each other in the busy grandstand. FL made the official announcement regarding TCC following the National Anthem.. Tony Calo briefly described what happened, and then listed Tin Cup's accomplishments. He then asked for a moment of silence in Tin Cup's honor, which nearly all of the thousands of patrons honored. Very sad.

[joanied]

DRF's article:

http://www.drf.com/news/article/103045.html

My wife and I decided to still go to Finger Lakes' opening day, altho we were pretty much in a daze the whole day. The same can be said for many of the people there, as I overheard countless conversations of people discussing the accident and commiserating with each other in the busy grandstand. FL made the official announcement regarding TCC following the National Anthem.. Tony Calo briefly described what happened, and then listed Tin Cup's accomplishments. He then asked for a moment of silence in Tin Cup's honor, which nearly all of the thousands of patrons honored. Very sad.

Ohgeeze...your post just choked me up again and gave me goosebumps.
:( :( :(

[WinterTriangle]

I am heartbroken, and my deepest condolences to Mike Lecesse and Scott vanLear. This horse has survived so many things, , and went on to win all those New York Triple races and the Indiana Derby...truly an amazing feel good /underdog story....

Rest in Peace, brave one.





(http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/racing-news/2009/April/17/Tin-Cup-Chalice-euthanized.aspx)

[FantasticDan]

A contributor on another board is reporting that the necropsy revealed a broken vertebra and shoulder. At least the connections don't have to ever doubt that the right call was made after all their on-track lifesaving efforts.

[Norm]

A truly sad day for Finger Lakes fans. He was my favorite, I loved to watch him run. He had the look of an eagle and the courage of a champion.

Here's a link to an up-state news article.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20090418/SPORTS/904180333 (http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20090418/SPORTS/904180333)

[classhandicapper]

Really sad. He was a very nice horse. :(

[FantasticDan]

A note from ESPN's Bill Finley at the end of this article:

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/triplecrown09/columns/story?columnist=finley_bill&id=4086957

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.

[joanied]

Geeze...this was sad enough...now this story...my heart goes out to Mr. Lecesse:( Such a tragedy...damnitall:(