The Spirit of Fio Rito

Another road trip day, another racetrack. Today’s visit to Finger Lakes was an opportunity to explore new territory, and to add #48 to my growing list. More than anything, though, it was to pay respect to an old hero of mine. The star of the Western New York’s inaugural Hall of Fame class of 1996, Fio Rito’s spirit still lives strong within the hospitable confines of the 52-year-old track. As well it should. Fio Rito was one of the good ones.

I found it fitting that Clean Jean gamely persevered in the day’s opener to notch her 14th win at Finger Lakes from 30 lifetime starts. Her record is not quite Fio Rito worthy, but the victory by a mare who loves to win seemed a nice tribute to the winningest horse in the oval’s history.

The obscurely bred son of Dreaming Native and Seagret won 19 of his 27 races at Finger Lakes between 1977 and 1981. A bit obscure itself, Finger Lakes was the perfect track for Fio Rito. Purchased almost by accident, when his dam was bought at auction in foal for $2,300 as a favor, the ornery gray got better every year from ages 2 to 6, while spending much of his time at the track just outside of Rochester, New York.  

It was away from Finger Lakes, though, that the racing world finally paid notice to Fio Rito. On one of racing’s biggest stages, the six-year-old ran as game a race as could be, one afternoon at Saratoga, to win the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap.

It was a strike for not only the little guy, but also the entire New York breeding program. Owned by Ray LeCesse and trained by Michael Ferraro, Fio Rito became the first horse bred in New York ever to win a stakes race of the Grade 1 variety. The gutsy victory, over such stars as Winter’s Tale and Noble Nashua, had to be all the more sweet knowing that it was the local jock, Les Hulet, who guided him to, what at the time was, the most important ever by a New York-bred.

In all, Fio Rito won 28 times in 50 starts, with his biggest victories coming at Saratoga, and Detroit Race Course, where he got up in the final jump to win the Michigan Mile and One Eighth by a nose, but it was at Finger Lakes where the legend of Fio Rito was born, and still lives on.

Whether it be the 4th floor’s Fio Rito Room, the track’s Hall of Fame, or the large mural that illustrates the track’s history over the years, you cannot go far without remembering Fio Rito.

Among his career highlights at Finger Lakes include the week when he set two track records, breaking the old six furlong mark with a 1:09 4/5, and then coming back six days later to set the new mark a mile and 70 yards, coming home in 1:40 1/5. The three-time Finger Lakes Horse of the Year was a winner at distances from 5 ½ furlongs to 1 ¼ miles. In 1980, he won the Wadsworth Memorial Handicap here while carrying an impost of 138 pounds. Named the New York State Horse of the Year in back-to-back years in 1980 and 1981, Fio Rito won sixteen stakes races overall. 

Upon his passing at the age of 21, Fio Rito became the first horse to be buried in the infield of Finger Lakes in 1996. Today he shares the infield with one other star New York-bred, Tin Cup Chalice. After my visit today, I can confirm that Fio Rito’s spirit remains strong at Finger Lakes … as it should.