Frivolous Scratched From G2 Falls City, Retired

G. Watts Humphrey Jr.’s multiple Grade II-winning homebred mare Frivolous was scratched early Thursday afternoon from a scheduled start in the 100th running of the $200,000 Falls City Handicap Presented by TwinSpires.com (GII) at Churchill Downs and has been retired, according to the owner’s daughter, trainer Vicki Oliver.

“We galloped her the morning of the race and when she came back her tendon looked a little sore so we decided that the best thing to do was to scratch her,” Oliver said. “She was training really well and she’s had a pretty tough campaign, but we’re going to send her home to be a mom.”

Frivolous finished fifth in last month’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff (GI) and retires as a winner of five races and $750,718 from 24 starts. She enjoyed the bulk of her success beneath Churchill Downs’ Twin Spires. The 5-year-old dark bay daughter of Empire Maker won last year’s Falls City by a half-length over favorite Don’t Tell Sophia at odds of 19-1. This summer, she defeated future Grade I-winner Sheer Drama by 1 ½ lengths at 32-1 in the $200,000 Fleur de Lis Handicap (GII) and returned to take the $100,000 Locust Grove with an eight-length romp as the 6-5 favorite.

Frivolous also was entered and under consideration for Friday’s $500,000 Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (Grade I) against males, but a defense of her Falls City title was to be her final race.

She’ll soon join Humphrey’s Kentucky broodmare band.

“It was pretty tough nicking her,” Oliver said. “Tapit and War Front are possibilities.”

Source: Churchill Downs