ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Little Teddy aims for her third win in a row on the Tapeta in Sunday’s $100,000 Ballade Stakes, a six-furlong sprint for Ontario-sired fillies and mares at Woodbine. Trained by Santino DiPaola for York Tech Racing Stable, Little Teddy recorded her lone stakes score in the five-furlong Georgian Bay on the inner turf last July, after which she placed in a series of other restricted stakes. Little Teddy cleared the first two open allowance conditions this spring. After landing her five-furlong season opener with an 81 Beyer Speed Figure, she doubled up going six furlongs in a time of 1:09.54 while earning an 87 Beyer Speed Figure. “I think both races were impressive, especially because of the competition,” DiPaola said. “I would say the most recent win was especially impressive because of how fast she ran and how she kept that speed going. The final time was what you would see in a graded stakes race.” Little Teddy has breezed three times since that May 29 victory. All those works were on the dirt training track. “The more you do with her, the better,” DiPaola said. “I took the six weeks in between races – that was always the plan – to freshen her up. Her first work back is always blazing quick. She just wants to get out and go. We were thrilled with the most recent work. She is just a very cool horse. She listens very, very well. She has grown leaps and bounds, mentally and physically, from last year to this year.” Austin Adams retains the mount on the daughter of Frac Daddy, who is out of a half-sister to stakes winner Brooklynsway, dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Adare Manor. The Ballade goes as the third race with four others – Olivia Rose, Silent Sky, Talk to Ya Later, and Taquanyah. Olivia Rose was beaten a neck by Little Teddy when second in the Georgian Bay. She turned the tables on her when winning the six-furlong Thunder Bay on the main turf in August, after which she ran hot and cold in two inner turf stakes. Olivia Rose set the pace before weakening to third in her May 3 season opener in a conditioned allowance/optional claimer on the Tapeta. Rafael Hernandez will ride her again for trainer Mark Casse. Silent Sky won at the first allowance condition in her season opener before ending up fifth in a turf sprint at the next allowance category. Talk to Ya Later finished a lapped-on second to Pleasure’s Gold in the 2024 Ballade and has since won twice in allowance company. She never fired most recently on the grass and has done the bulk of her best running on the Tapeta. Taquanyah, sidelined since winning the Oct. 26 Eternal Search Stakes on the inner turf, is making her first start for trainer Norm McKnight after working extensively.