Underdogs in Horse Racing: Lil E. Tee

Apr 28, 2024 Sara Dacus/TwinSpires.com

Before Smarty Jones was a length away from becoming the first Triple Crown winner in over 30 years, Lil E. Tee paved the way for Pennsylvania-breds, becoming the first to win the Kentucky Derby in 1992. Smarty became the second in 2004. While Smarty Jones was the favorite in all three classics, Lil E. Tee wore the roses at 16-1 odds.

The bay colt was a long shot from the beginning. He was born at Pin Oak Lane Farm with a ring of white on a hind ankle. He was nicknamed E.T. because he called for his mother like the title character of the Steven Spielberg film wanted to phone home. He also moved awkwardly like his namesake. The Lil was added to his name in honor of his breeder, Lawrence Ian Littman. The horse needed stomach surgery, and his connections were unsure if he would ever be able to race. He was sold for the first time as a yearling for $2,000.

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Later, Al Jevremovic purchased Lil E. Tee for $25,000, and the colt raced for him twice, both times at Calder. He finished second in his first career start, and in his next race, he blew the field away by 11 1/2 lengths. This caught the attention of owner W.C. “Cal” Partee of Magnolia, Ark., who bought the colt for $200,000 through trainer Lynn Whiting. Pat Day, who was the winningest jockey at Churchill Downs and Keeneland, became his rider. However, in nine attempts, Day had not won the Kentucky Derby.

Carrying Partee’s red silks with white dots, Lil E. Tee won and placed in races at Churchill Downs to close out his two-year-old campaign. He remained consistent as a sophomore, hitting the board in all his races leading up to the Run for the Roses. He won the Jim Beam S. (G2) at Turfway Park and then finished second by a neck to Pine Bluff in the Arkansas Derby (G2).

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However, Lil E. Tee was still under the radar during Derby week. French shipper Arazi, who entered off of an eight-win streak that included a decisive Breeders’ Cup Juvenile victory, was the heavy favorite. The talk was that Arazi could be the next Secretariat.

In the Derby, Arazi was last out of the gate. Dance Floor, the colt owned by rapper MC Hammer, made his way into the lead. Arazi moved to the outside and gained tremendous ground in the final turn, passing Lil E. Tee and reaching second place, but he was unable to gain the lead. As he weakened in the stretch and faded to eighth, Lil E. Tee rallied. He drew next to 29-1 longshot Casual Lies, a horse from the Alameda County Fairgrounds in California who was owned and trained by Shelley Riley and ridden by Gary Stevens. Lil E. Tee and Casual Lies battled to the wire, and Lil E. Tee scored by one length with a slow finishing time of 2:04. Riley became the first female trainer to finish in the money at the Kentucky Derby, and MC Hammer’s horse finished third. Partee, 82, became the first Arkansas owner to win the Kentucky Derby.

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Day, a man known for his faith, raised his eyes and hands toward the sky as he gave thanks to God. A little over 25 years later, Churchill unveiled a statue of Day inspired by this moment.

Lil E. Tee finished fifth in the Preakness S. (G1) and didn’t race again as a sophomore. His four-year-old campaign started strong at Oaklawn with a win in the Razorback H. (G2) and a second in the Oaklawn H. (G1), but he retired in July because of an injury. He had a lifetime record of 7-4-1 from 13 starts and earnings of just under $1.5 million. He began a second career at Old Frankfort Stud. Lil E. Tee was euthanized there in 2009 at age 20 because of complications from an intestinal problem.

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Partee’s Kentucky Derby trophy was kept in the First National Bank vault in Magnolia. It was eventually given as a gift to President Bill Clinton, and today it is on display at his Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock.

John Eisenberg wrote a book about the astounding colt titled The Longest Shot.