When the three-year-old pacing fillies arrive at Windsor Raceway on Wednesday evening for their last Trillium Series event, Yankee Pica will be looking for a little hometown advantage.
Owned by trainer Bob McIntosh of LaSalle and his cousin Al McIntosh of Leamington, Yankee Pica has not been beaten over her local oval since March 16. She captured two qualifiers at Windsor in February, then finished second and fourth in her first two starts. On April 6 the filly posted her first lifetime victory at Windsor in 1:58.3, and followed that up with two more victories in April and a win in the Grassroots season opener on May 25.
"She was pretty good early on," notes Al McIntosh. "I think she won five or six in a row at the start."
From April 6 to June 3, Yankee Pica captured all seven of her starts. The daughter of No Pan Intended and $136,441 winner Picassos Filly was scratched out of the second leg of the City of London Pacing Series at Western Fair Raceway on June 10, and then made a break in the final 10 days later. A fifth in the first leg of the Town Pro Series at Mohawk Racetrack followed, and then Yankee Pica was back in the winner's circle with a personal best 1:53.1 in the second leg on July 7.
The filly struggled in the Town Pro Final and again in an Aug. 2 Gold Elimination at Mohawk, so her connections decided it was time to give the winner of $48,930 a break. Yankee Pica returned to action in a Sept. 26 qualifier at Mohawk, and then delivered an impressive effort in the last Grassroots event of the season at Kawartha Downs on Oct. 7, travelling around the outside to finish third in the 1:54.3 mile won by St Lads Seraph.
"She's had a few issues on half-mile tracks, so we've had to pick our spots," says McIntosh of the decision to miss the middle portion of the Grassroots Series - raced entirely over half-mile tracks.
With 62 points earned through her two Grassroots appearances, Yankee Pica was the first also eligible in the Grassroots post season, which eventually went to her stablemate All Accounted For, so she has been sitting on the sidelines for the last five weeks waiting for Wednesday's Trillium event.
Entered in the Nov. 16 Forest City Mixed Sale, Yankee Pica will make what could be her last start for the McIntosh's from Post 3 in the second $36,154 Trillium division on Wednesday.
"The roll I have been on with post positions, the three is almost like drawing the rail," says McIntosh wryly. "She's a nice little honest filly; I think she'll be okay in there on Wednesday. She raced pretty good her last start in Peterborough."
Among the fillies Yankee Pica will face are St Lads Seraph, second in the Grassroots Championship and starting from Post 4 on Wednesday, and American-sired filly Unique Legacy, a winner of $209,236 this season who will start from the outside Post 7.
Post time at Windsor Raceway on Wednesday, Nov. 5 is 7 p.m., with the talented three-year-old pacing fillies wrapping up their Trillium careers in Races 2 and 4.
To view Wednesday's entries, click here.
(OSS)