robert a. mcintosh
Robert McIntosh was born in Leamington, Ontario, Canada on August 11, 1952. He came from a prominent Canadian harness racing family led by his father Jack. In 2001 McIntosh's earnings of $4,976,665 ranked him third among the top moneywinning conditioners in North America. He was named Canadian Trainer of the Year seven times and garnered Canadian Horseman of the Year in 1993 after leading Staying Together to Horse of the Year honors for the second straight year in both the USTA/USHWA and Canadian balloting. Artsplace, who won it the previous year, spent his freshman and sophomore campaigns under Hall of Famer Gene Riegle. He moved to the McIntosh barn in 1992. Four years old, he won all 16 of his races that year, had earnings of $932,325 and had paced the fastest race mile ever (at the time) of 1:49.2, in a leg of the Driscoll at the Meadowlands. 2000 Living Horse Hall of Famer Artsplace also won the $368,000 Breeders Crown, $222,750 Canadian Pacing Derby, $222,000 American-National, $200,000 Stewart Fraser Memorial, $192,000 Driscoll final, $127,000 U.S. Pacing Championship final and $100,000 Nicole Hudock Memorial. This son of Abercrombie finished his career with earnings of over $3 million. His credentials ranked him second only to Nihilator as leading money winning pacer of all time, helping McIntosh garner the Glen Garnsey Trainer of the Year award, presented by USHWA.
In 1993, Artsplace retired and it fell to four-year-old pacing gelding Staying Together (1993 Horse of the Year) to keep McIntosh in the limelight. The son of Panorama won 21 of 26 starts that year and took almost $1.2 million in earnings. He broke Artsplace's record for the fastest race mile ever, scoring in 1:48.2 in a leg of the Driscoll. He also set a world record (1:50.4) on a 5/8-mile track, capturing a leg of the Molson Export Pacing Series at Greenwood. Major victories in 1993 for Staying Together came in the $396,810 Breeders Crown, $271,000 American National final, $205,000 Molson Canadian Pacing Derby, $205,000 Driscoll final, $200,000 Stewart Fraser Memorial, $175,000 Graduate Series final, $137,000 US Pacing Championship and $53,000 Des Smith Classic. Another McIntosh star has been Artiscape, who had outstanding campaigns in 1997 and 1998. The colt offspring of Artsplace and Delinquent Account, had 6 wins in 8 starts as a freshman in 1997 and earned $495,501. Major wins were the $665,145 Breeders Crown final; he set his season's mark of 1:52.3 in a division of the International Stallion Stake and equaled it in a Governor's Cup elimination. In 1998 he snared 13 wins in 18 trips and earnings of almost $1 million. He took the $440,000 Breeders Crown final in a new world record of 1:49.3 at Colonial Downs' one-turn mile, $293,550 Tattersalls Pace, $255,300 American-National, $164,560 Bluegrass division, $141,500 Provincial Cup final and $100,650 in a Simcoe division. Artiscape's reward was the 1998 Dan Patch Award in the U.S. and the O'Brien Award in Canada. Intrepid Seelster was a top trainee for McIntosh. As a two-year-old in 1999, he went to the winner's circle 6 times in 17 starts and earned $395,980. He set a national season's mark for a freshman colt on a 5/8-mile track in the Ontario Sire Stakes Gold final at Windsor. He also won the $100,000 Gold final at Woodbine and eliminations for the Metro and the Battle of Waterloo. In 2000, as a sophomore, he was in the money in half of his 18 starts, with 5 wins and earnings of $316,645. Other major victories enjoyed by this pacing son of Camluck include the $250,000 Ontario Sire Stakes Super Final and the $1,047,521 Canadian Breeders final. As a four-year-old, Intrepid Seelster had 7 wins in 30 starts and added $325,182 to his credit. He lowered his mark to 1:50.1, in a $50,000 William Haughton Pace elimination. He also won the $100,000 Molson Export Invitation and a $50,000 Breeders Crown elimination.
Pacing fillies also brought success to McIntosh. Electrical Art, a daughter of Artsplace, was in the money 11 of her 12 starts as a two-year-old in 2000 and earned $422,784. She beat out stablemate Gothic Lady in the $456,100 Three Diamonds final. In 2001 she had 6 wins and banked $587,784, capturing the Miss New Jersey final (in a personal best of 1:51) and the New Jersey Sires Stakes final. The Abercrombie pacing filly Gothic Lady was a winner in 6 of her 11 starts at two, with earnings of $245,639. In 2001, she hit the board 11 times in 19 appearances with $240,408 in purse checks.
Dan Patch Award winner Western Shooter led McIntosh's freshman crop in 2001. The Western Hanover colt earned $904,462 in 9 wins in 14 starts during his successful juvenile campaign. His best performance came in the $500,000 Governor's Cup final with a world record 1:50 (freshman pacing colt on a mile track). He also won the $968,502 Breeders Crown final at Woodbine.
Other memorable racehorses who performed well for McIntosh included Camluck, Delinquent Account, Electric Slide, Armbro Officer, Die Loving, Mattaroni and Three Mile Island; other achievers include Crown Lavec, Lady Graceful and pacer Western Maverick, a 2001 world record holder. One of McIntosh's winners, Allamerican Ingot, was in the money in each of his 7 starts in 2001 earning $421,915. His biggest victory came in the $700,000 Woodrow Wilson final with a 1:51.3 personal best time. In 2002, Allamerican Ingot's North American earnings sprang to $719,578, and his personal best time, in the Messenger Stake, went to 1:50.3f.
Bob McIntosh passed away on July 28, 2024 at the age of 71.