LIL E. TEE (At the Threshold), who provided Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day with
his only Kentucky Derby (G1) score when pulling a 16-1 upset in the 1992 Run for
the Roses, has died, according to a report in the Blood-Horse. The
20-year-old stallion was euthanized on March 18 at Old Frankfort Stud near
Frankfort, Kentucky, due to complications from an intestinal problem.
Bred in Pennsylvania by Larry Littman, Lil E. Tee was acquired by owner W.
Cal Partee after winning a maiden race at Calder by 11 1/2 lengths in his second
start. Trained by Lynn Whiting, Lil E. Tee made his stakes debut in March 1992
when third in the Southwest S. at Oaklawn Park. He later captured the Jim Beam
S. (G2) at Turfway Park before finishing second by a neck to eventual Preakness
S. (G1) winner Pine Bluff in the Arkansas Derby (G2).
The sixth choice in the wagering in the Kentucky Derby, Lil E. Tee rallied
from 12th to win by a length as juvenile champion and odds-on choice Arazi
finished far back. Lil E. Tee’s sophomore season came to an end in the Preakness
where he finished fifth, five lengths behind Pine Bluff. He missed the rest of
the year following surgery to remove an ankle chip.
Lil E. Tee returned to race three times as a four-year-old, winning an
allowance and the Razorback H. (G2) at Oaklawn before placing second in the
Oaklawn H. (G1). He retired with a record of 13-7-4-1, $1.437.506.
As a stallion, Lil E. Tee’s best offspring were 1999 Oak Tree Derby (G2)
winner Mula Gula and 1999 Southwest S. (G3) winner Jim’smrtee.