Churchill releases Thanksgiving weekend stakes nominations

Nominations were released Sunday for Churchill Downs' premier races for

juveniles -- the $175,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) and $175,000 Golden Rod (G2) for

two-year-old fillies. Those races will be co-featured on "Stars of Tomorrow II," a racing program devoted exclusively to

two-year-olds that

is scheduled for closing day, November 30.

The 87th running of the Kentucky Jockey Club attracted 43 nominees, headed by Hopeful

romper Strong Mandate, third in the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile for D. Wayne Lukas; the Mark Casse-trained Coastline,

winner of the Street Sense overnight stakes at Churchill Downs; and

Almost Famous, an impressive six-length winner of Churchill Downs allowance race

at the Kentucky Jockey Club distance of 1 1/16 miles on November 9 for

conditioner Pat Byrne.

Strong Mandate has completed his two-year-old campaign and

Coastline is expected to ship to Louisiana's Delta Downs for the Grade 3, $1

million Delta Jackpot next Saturday, so Almost Famous looms as the

possible favorite in the race, which is part of the "Road to the Kentucky Derby"

points system that will determine eligibility to compete in the Kentucky Derby on May

3.

The son of Unbridled's Song, purchased at the Fasig-Tipton

two-year-old sale in Florida for $500,000, has won two of three career starts --

all at Churchill Downs -- with the only blemish being a fourth-place finish in

the Street Sense.

Other nominees include Angry Moon, a recent maiden winner at Churchill; Culprit, a maiden

scorer during Churchill's "Stars of Tomorrow I" program on October 27; Dobra Historia, runner-up to Almost Famous in

the November 9 allowance; Street Sense runner-up Ichiban Warrior; Intense Holiday, fourth in Aqueduct's

Nashua; Sheikinator, a maiden winner on Saturday's "Downs After Dark" card; Smarty's Echo, runner-up in Keeneland's Breeders'

Futurity; and Tapiture, a close third in September's Iroquois under the Twin

Spires.

There were 27 juvenile fillies nominated to the 1

1/16-mile Golden Rod and that group is headed by Rosalind, just a half-length

back in third in the recent Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Trainer Kenny McPeek is looking at both the Golden Rod and

Grade 1, $500,000 Hollywood Starlet at Hollywood Park on December 7 for

Rosalind. The daughter of Broken Vow also ran third in Churchill's Pocahontas

and was runner-up in Keeneland's Alcibiades.

Also nominated to the Golden Rod are the respective top three finishers from

Churchill's Rags to Riches overnight stakes on October 27 -- Clever Beauty,

Vexed and Tepin.

Other notable nominees include Madly Truly, winner

of Woodbine's Mazarine; Stonetastic, runner-up in the Pocahontas; Silver Valley,

a four-length victress of the Mountaineer Juvenile Fillies; Sweetsoutherndame,

runner-up in the Arlington-Washington Lassie; Be Proud, a Santa Anita maiden

scorer; Bird Maker and Playful Love, recent Churchill Downs maiden winners for

trainer Ian Wilkes; Canaryinacoalmine, a September maiden heroine at Churchill;

Daddy's Memory, a Scat Daddy filly who romped by 10 3/4 lengths in a Churchill maiden on

October 31; Naive Enough, a winner of

back-to-back races at Laurel; and Needmore Flattery, a dominant five-time winner of

stakes restricted to Ohio-bred fillies.

Churchill also released the nominations for the 139th running of the Grade 1,

$500,000 Clark Handicap on November 29. Multiple Grade 1 hero Game On Dude, a

$5.6 million-earner and recent beaten favorite in the Breeders' Cup Classic, and

Travers star Will Take Charge, who just missed by a nose in the Classic, head a

roster 19 horses listed for the 1 1/8-mile race.

The Clark is scheduled for the popular "Black Friday" racing program and is

one of four major stakes races set for the three-day Thanksgiving holiday

weekend that closes out Churchill's 25-day fall meet. The other stakes is the

98th running of the Grade 2, $150,000 Falls City Handicap at 1 1/8 miles. Last

year's Kentucky Oaks queen Believe You Can tops the list of 17 fillies and mares

nominated to that contest.

Complete rosters of Churchill's Thanksgiving weekend stakes nominees are

available by clicking

here.

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