Fio Rito

Inducted 1996

1975 Gr. C. by Dreaming Native - Seagret
28 Wins in 50 Starts, from ages 2 to 6
Career Earnings: $584,142

1981 - New Track Record at Finger Lakes - 6f in 1:09 4/5
1981- New Track Record at Finger Lakes - 1 mile, 70 yards in 1:40 1/5

Finger Lakes Horse of the Year
1979, 1980, 1981

New York State Horse of the Year
1980, 1981

Bred and owned by Ray LeCesse and trained by Michael S. Ferraro, Fio Rito became the first New York-bred to win a Grade I stakes race when jockey Les Hulet guided him to a determined front-running victory in the 1981 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga. The Whitney was one of 16 stakes or handicap victories during his racing career. Earlier in 1981, Fio Rito established Finger Lakes track records for six furlongs and one mile & 70 yards in consecutive starts, six days apart. In 27 starts at Finger Lakes, Fio Rito won 19 races. A winner at distances from 5 ½ furlongs to 1 ¼ miles, Fio Rito won the Wadsworth Memorial Handicap in 1980 while carrying an astonishing 138 pounds. In 1996, after passing at the age of 21, Fio Rito became the first horse to be buried in the Finger Lakes infield.