More Friday Notes

The four-year-old Swan For All mare, Bags For All, who was claimed for a whopping $75,000 by Bradley Grant August 17 at Mohawk, and followed that up with a stellar romp in 1:52 against NW27 for Trevor Henry, will start in tomorrow’s $100,000 Earl Rowe Memorial at Georgian Downs. The mare, who is the fastest offspring of the nine-year-old Andover Hall stallion, has earned $128,000 on 25 starts this year. She is second choice in the morning line from the two post. Her uncle Swan In A Million won the Rowe last year.

Intimidate, who hasn’t made the board in seven starts this year, and who was terrible in the Crawford and Cashman in his last two, has the rail in the Rowe with Yves Filion driving. Last year’s Maple Leaf and TVG winner has fallen off the earth.

EL Titan, who won the inaugural edition of the Sebastian K at Pocono last week at 9/1, is the morning line favorite from the eight. It’s a precipitous drop from Tim Tetrick to trainer Riina Rekila, but Titan may lay over this field to the point where it doesn’t matter.

Speaking of Tetrick, poor Wakizashi Hanover starts from the eight in his $61,000 split of the Tarport Effrat at The Meadows tonight. That makes five out of his last six starts where he drew the 7, 8 or 9 post—and in the other he drew the six. Still, he has won six of twelve, with eleven board finishes. Brian Brown’s Well Said colt, Lost For Words, who was second in the Milstein, starts just inside of him.

Ron Burke always sets himself up to get a piece of the action in the second and third tier sire stakes programs. In the case of Kentucky, which offers eight $175,000 finals Sunday night at The Red Mile, he spends freely on the offspring of the Western Hanover stallion Third Straight. He has two fillies and a sophomore gelding by that sire competing for the big dough in Lexington. Five of the seven starters in the 2 YO pacing filly final are by Third Straight. Seven of the nine sophomore colts are sons of his. 58% of the pacers in the finals are by Third Straight. Lakeisha Hall, a two-year-old filly who has won three of four and who took her prelim by six lengths, is a standout for Burke and Dave Palone.

Joe FitzGerald