The magnificent Groupie Doll stamped herself as the favorite for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (gr. I) with an authoritative victory this afternoon in the $200,000 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (gr. II) at Keeneland.
Sent off as the 2-5 favorite in the six-furlong sprint, Groupie Doll broke cleanly but quickly settled back into the fifth position as Honey Chile ran the opening quarter mile in :22.73 seconds. Newstouse was content to track the pace in second, followed then by Mega Dream and Strike the Moon. Zermatt, Sally Sally, Giant Sensation, and Emma's Encore were the early trailers.
Rounding the turn, Groupie Doll moved up along the inside to reach contention, but lacked racing room and needed an opening. It came at the top of the stretch, when Newstouse drifted out just a bit. Taking advantage of the narrow gap, jockey Rajiv Maragh sent Groupie Doll for the hole, and his mount responded with a terrific run that swallowed up Honey Chile with ease. From there, the race was over, as Groupie Doll coasted home uncontested to win by 6 1/2 lengths in 1:09.21 seconds.
Strike the Moon narrowly out-finished Honey Chile for second, while Zermatt rounded out the superfecta. Mega Dream, Newstouse, Sally Sally, Emma's Encore, and Giant Sensation completed the order of finish.
Trained by William Bradley and owned by William Bradley, Fred Bradley, Carl Hurst, and Brent Burns, Groupie Doll has now won eight of her fifteen starts, and has earned $1,047,850.
-Keelerman
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