Clark, Falls City nominees revealed

After taking Oaklawn's Rebel and finishing second behind eventual Kentucky

Derby-winner California Chrome in the Santa Anita Derby, Hoppertunity was a

highly-regarded contender for the Derby but was scratched from the race after a

left-front foot issue was detected. Hoppertunity resumed training in September

and made his return in an allowance event on October 29 at Santa Anita where he

finished second beaten a half-length. Hopperunity has earned $622,720 from a

2-2-0 record through six starts.

Other Clark nominees include the Steve Asmussen-trained Tapiture, who was a

game second, 1 1/4 lengths back of the impressive Goldencents in the Breeders'

Cup Dirt Mile; the Dale Romans trained duo of Fayette winner Pick of the Litter

and multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Prayer for Relief, who finished

12th in the Classic; the Al Stall Jr.-trained Departing, the multiple Grade 2

winner and earner of more than $1.5 million who finished second to Pick of the

Litter in the Fayette; the Chad Brown-trained duo of Suburban Handicap winner

and Jockey Club Gold Cup runner-up Zivo and Easter Gift, who was third in last

year's Clark; and Cary Street, who impressively won the Las Vegas Marathon on

the Breeders' Cup undercard for trainer Brendan Walsh.

Don't Tell Sophia and Molly Morgan highlight a cast of 23 fillies and mares

nominated to the 99th running of the Grade 2, $200,000Falls City Handicap to be

contested on Thanksgiving Day, November 27.

Don't Tell Sophia, who has banked $1,339,295 with a record of 23-11-5-3,

turned in a mild upset victory in the Spinster at Keeneland and followed that

with a runner-up performance in the Breeders' Cup Distaff where she finished 1

1/4 lengths behind Untapable. The six-year-old mare by Congaree has provided

quite the return on investment for her owners, who purchased her for $1,000 at

the 2009 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She finished second in last year's

Falls City behind Wine Princess.

The Dale Romans-trained Molly Morgan was an impressive 2 1/4-length winner in

the $200,000 Chilukki beneath the Twin Spires on November 1. Prior to that, she

finished third behind Don't Tell Sophia and Ria Antonia in the Spinster at

Keeneland and ran second to Don't Tell Sophia in the September 6 Locust Grove at

Churchill Downs. She carries a record of 7-4-6 through 26 starts and has earned

$662,407.

Other notable Falls City nominees include Bob Baffert-trained Jojo Warrior, a

multiple graded stakes winner of $371,981 who finished third in her last start

at Parx in the Cotillion on September 20; Tiz Windy, winner of the Indiana Oaks

in her last start for trainer Carl Nafzger; and Canadian-bred Strut the Course,

trained by Barbara Minshall, who has won her last three starts by a combined 13

3/4 lengths at Woodbine, including her most recent score in the 1 1/4-mile Maple

Leaf on November 1.

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