Lil E. Tee, winner of '92 Derby, dead

Lil E. Tee, who upset heavily favored Arazi to win the 1992 Kentucky Derby, has died. He was 20. The horse was euthanized Wednesday at Old Frankfort Stud in Lexington, Ky. Farm owner Jim Plemmons said the horse fell ill last month after an operation to repair an obstructed bowel and struggled to recover. Under jockey Pat Day, Lil E. Tee, at 17-1, roared past the front-runners at Churchill Downs, including European star Arazi, to win the Derby by a length. It marked the only Derby victory of Day's Hall of Fame career. But Lil E. Tee's winning time of 2minutes, 3seconds over a fast track was considered slow, and most of the aftermath was spent wondering what went wrong with Arazi, who faded to eighth. Lil E. Tee's bid for a Triple Crown ended when he took fifth at the Preakness Stakes. He skipped the Belmont Stakes because of a lung infection. He retired with seven wins in 13 career starts.

Sports Digest

March 24, 2009