TORONTO, October 22, 2025— Trained by Santino Di Paola, Little Teddy, who has three wins and a pair of seconds in her past five starts, rolls into the 7 ½-furlong inner turf event for Ontario-sired fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, off a masterful score in the Zadracarta Stakes. Little Teddy, who was second in both the Ballade Stakes on July 13 and the Algoma Stakes on August 24, registered a 5 ½-length victory in the five-furlong inner turf event for Ontario-bred fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, on September 21. The final time of :55.63 over firm going was just shy of the track record of :55.40 set by Silent Flash on June 17, 2022. Little Teddy and jockey Austin Adams winning the Zadracarta Stakes on September 21, 2025 at Woodbine (Michael Burns Photo) “I think this would be the best race of her career so far,” said Di Paola, who trains the 4-year-old for his parents’ York Tech Stable, nom du course of Carmen and Raffaela Di Paola. “She almost set the track record, she kicked-on down the lane and galloped out strong – we were waiting to get her back on turf. She moves like a turf horse, short, to the ground, with that little stride of hers. “I told Austin (apprentice jockey, Adams) she will move up four or five lengths on the turf, and she did. She came home with such a great burst – her kick was enormous. It was such an impressive ride by Austin, very polished, like a journeyman. Austin and I will sit in the office and make a game plan, a secondary game plan, and go over the races together. I told him to let her get her feet under her, let her do her thing and come with her run. And it played out perfectly.” For a time, Di Paola was uncertain it would. “Last time, she spooked me. I thought I had her so good. She was sharp, but calm all day. She was there, but she was quiet, which is worrisome because she is usually sharp. She walked over so calmly. Our hotwalker, Nicholas, he walked on the right side of her – the first time we had ever done that. She was so calm in the paddock and I thought, ‘We’re in trouble.’ And then she went out and ran a hole in the wind. So, I guess the calmer, the better.” After a seventh to launch her career in 2023, Little Teddy won next time out, at 48-1, before concluding her 2-year-old season with a third in the Shady Well Stakes. Her 2024 campaign, which saw her post a 2-2-1 mark from six engagements, was highlighted by her first stakes success, the breakthrough coming in the Georgian Bay. The daughter of Frac Daddy out of the Silent Name (JPN) mare Explosive Leah, in what was first grass assignment, produced a neck win in the five-furlong sprint over the Woodbine inner turf. It also represented the first Woodbine stakes crown for York Tech Racing Stable. “It was a very meaningful win on a lot of levels,” said Di Paola. “You could see how much it meant to our family. It’s a day we will always remember.” Bred in Ontario by Susan Rasmussen and H. Lothian, Little Teddy, now 6-4-2 from 14 starts ($319,397 in purse earnings), was a $15,000 (CDN) purchase at the 2022 CTHS Canadian Premier Yearling Sale. Di Paola’s brother, Joey, is the groom. Lady in Red, owned by York Tech Racing Stable and bred by Raffaela Di Paola, was sixth in last year’s running of the Eternal Search. Lady in Red and jockey Austin Adams winning Race 4 on October 6, 2024 at Woodbine (Michael Burns Photo) The 6-year-old daughter of D’s Wando out of the Cat’s At Home mare Santina d’Or is 5-1-1 from 25 career starts. She broke her maiden in her fifth race, a one-length score at 5 ½ furlongs over the Woodbine main track on April 29, 2023. “She ran a very good race two back,” said Di Paola, of the runner-up effort at one mile over the inner turf on September 7. “She didn’t run her race last time (seventh, at 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf, on October 5). She had some equipment issues. If she gets set off for some reason, it’s game over.” Lady in Red worked four furlongs in :48.40 over the main track on September 28. “It was a great work and I am so excited to see her run. I know she will be a longshot, but she is one tough cookie. She led all the way to the sixteenth-pole in this race last year through fast early fractions (:22.87 and :45.72), so if she can slow things down a little bit, I think she can come up with a huge performance.” Di Paola’s sister, Teresa, is the groom. Others slated to run include multiple graded stakes winner Fashionably Fab, multiple stakes winners Olivia Rose and War Painter, and graded stakes placed Talk to Ya Later. The race is named after the three-time Canadian champion, purchased at age two for $50,000 by Mel Lawson, who raced her under his Jim Dandy Stable banner. Eternal Search retired from racing with 15 stakes victories and posted a record of 18-11-2 from 44 starts. She was trained by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Ted Mann. First post on Saturday is 1:05 p.m. Fans and can wager on all the action through HPIbet.com and bet365. The wagering menu for the race includes Rolling Double, Exacta, 0.20 Trifecta, .20 Superfecta, 0.20 Pick 3 (Races 9-10-11) and $1 Swinger. Field for the Eternal Search Stakes – Race 9 Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer 1 – Fashionably Fab – Pietro Moran – Kevin Attard 2 – Secret Load – Daisuke Fukumoto – Richard Hayashi 3 – Lady in Red – Keveh Nicholls – Santino Di Paola 4 – Talk to Ya Later – Jose Campos – Ian Black 5 – My Girl Sky – Ryan Munger – Barb Minshall 6 – War Painter – Fraser Aebly – Kevin Attard 7 – Veery – Eswan Flores – Martin Drexler 8 – Little Teddy – Austin Adams – Santino Di Paola 9 – Bedazzle Me – David Moran – Anthony Pottinger 10 – Olivia Rose – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse Chris Lomon, Woodbine Share This:Share
