by Jeff Renton, Woodbine Entertainment Group

Toronto, ON — Winter warrior Y Chance It made it four consecutive wins, as he emerged victorious in the C$48,000 Junior Free For All Trot on Sunday afternoon at Woodbine.

WEG photo

Y Chance It took Woodbine’s Junior Free For All Trot in 1:54⁴.

Fresh off of his score last week in the C$116,500 Horsemen’s Series Final, the five-year-old gelded son of Yentls Image–Fannies Biggal Two triumphed by two and a half lengths over a frosty Woodbine oval.

Abbey Road C and trainer/driver Keith Jones led the pack to the :26³ quarter pole before a flurry of lead changes occurred heading to the :56³ half-mile. Sitting second (parked by a nose) as they passed the half, Y Chance It and regular pilot Randy Fritz made the front and never relinquished the lead, throwing in a third quarter time of 1:25².

Coming home in :29², Y Chance It hit the wire before Rockymosa Raptor and Dream Lavec, who was third.

The mile, which was timed in 1:54⁴, took one fifth of a second off of the Ron O’Neill-trainee’s life mark.

“We were really confident (coming into the race). He had been acting really good this week,” said O’Neill, who co-owns Y Chance It along with fellow Ontario residents Paul Larrabee and Lynda Franklin.

Showing no ill-effects of a minor back ailment, Y Chance It was much the best on this afternoon.

“He had a little bit of a back problem up high on his right side,” explained O’Neill. “We’ve had the doctor come in and adjust him and seems to really help, so we are getting him done on a regular basis; it has been showing that it is working.”

The win was the 20th of his career and improved his lifetime earnings to $268,898.

Now a perfect three for three in 2004, Y Chance It ($4.90, $3.60, $3.30) and Rockymosa Raptor ($12.90, $8.80) completed a $47.40 exactor. Dream Lavec ($7.60) finished off the $375.00 triactor.

Monday evening’s card of racing will be highlighted by a pair of C$20,000 first leg divisions of the Don Mills Series for four-year-old trotters. The divisions have been slated as races three (8:22 p.m.) and five (9:04 p.m.).

First race post time is 7:40 p.m.