Sightseek Defection Causes Lineup Shuffle in Falls City

The decision by trainer Bobby Frankel to pull Juddmonte Farms' Sightseek out of Thursday's Falls City Handicap (gr. II) has led to some predictable shuffling in the field.

Two horses that had been considered as likely starters in the 1 1/8-mile race - Carol and Charles Hammersmith's Argentine import Miss Terrible and Delahoussaye Enterprises and Richard and Roberta Strauss' Angel Gift - were pulled from consideration, but four more fillies and mares entered the picture.

Three of the new faces are based at Churchill Downs: the Estate of Joseph Famularo and William Glass' Golden Marlin, Steven Duncker's Cloakof Vagueness, and Ro Para's Sweetwater Promise.

New York-based trainer Steve Klesaris brought the Falls City field to 10 when he entered Puglisi Stables' Misty Sixes.

Trainer Greg Foley had been pointing Golden Marlin, winner of the Dogwood Stakes (gr. III) and a recent 1 1/16-mile allowance race at Churchill Downs, toward the $50,000 My Charmer Stakes at Turfway Park on Dec. 6, but the defection of Sightseek prompted him to enter the 3-year-old daughter of Marlin in the Falls City.

"It looks like a great spot to run for $300,000," said Foley. "There are still some very nice fillies in there, but our filly is doing well and we've decided to go in there."

Veteran jockey Craig Perret is scheduled to ride Golden Marlin.

Cloakof Vagueness, a 3-year-old daughter of El Prado, has run in a pair of stakes efforts this fall. She was nipped at the finish line by longshot Beautiful Crazy in a runner-up finish in the Hawthorne Oaks on Nov. 15 at Hawthorne Race Course and was beaten a half-length by Falls City rival Awesome Humor in the Indiana Breeders' Cup Oaks (gr. III) at Hoosier Park on Oct. 3.

Sweetwater Promise, a Michigan-bred Service Stripe filly trained by James Jackson, was third to Golden Marlin and Minister's Baby in a Nov. 9 allowance race.

Misty Sixes, a 5-year-old daughter of Summer Squall, ran a disappointing fifth in the Turnback The Alarm (gr. III) at Aqueduct last time out, but has a pair of stakes wins on the turf at Monmouth Park and Colonial Downs to her credit in 2003.