FRASERVILLE, ON — When the three-year-old pacing fillies step onto the track for the tenth race at Kawartha Downs on Saturday night, George Graham is just hoping Marlow United gets back to the paddock safely.
In her last Grassroots start, at Hiawatha Horse Park on June 19, the filly was in a serious accident that had Graham wondering if she would ever see action in the Ontario Sires Stakes again.
“I kind of wondered if she was going to get up. They were a long time getting her out of there,” recalls the Lindsay resident, who bred, owns and trains Marlow United. “But she only ended up with a couple of little injuries.”
After a month long convalescence Graham tested the filly last Saturday (July 26) at Kawartha and she delivered an impressive runner-up performance in a 1:56.2 mile, earning her way into this weekend’s Grassroots event. The Pacific Rocket daughter and driver Gord Brown will start from Post 4 in the eighth race, which Graham says should suit the versatile filly.
“She’s won on the front, she’s won out of a hole, but she likes to get out and tramp,” he says. “Most of the good ones do, but she’s not too special yet, the only thing she’s won this year is a race at Belleville in 2:07.”
Last season Marlow United posted a record of four wins and one second in 11 starts for earnings of $16,353 and paced a personal best 1:57.1 over Kawartha’s five-eighths mile oval. This season the filly has one win and one second in eight starts and Graham would love to see her add to the win column and gain some points toward the Grassroots post season on Saturday.
Among the fillies Marlow United will face in Saturday’s tenth race, one of nine $18,000 Grassroots divisions on Kawartha’s 7:20 pm program, is local filly Trytanium. Owned by Robert Cuthbertson of Hastings and trained by Rick Fife, the Camluck daughter will also be looking for her second win of the season from Post 3.
Division leader Hot Shot Rocket will make her bid for a third straight Grassroots victory from Post 6 in the fifth race. Peter Heffering of Port Perry owns the talented Pacific Rocket daughter, who has amassed an impressive record of seven wins, one second and one third in 14 starts this season for earnings of $63,045.
Kawartha Downs first race parades onto the racetrack at 7:20 pm Saturday evening and the three-year-old pacing fillies dominate the program, starring in Races 2 through 10.