Groupie Doll repeats in record Presque Isle Downs Masters

Groupie Doll showed she was back to her best in a record performance (Coady Photography) Reigning champion female sprinter Groupie Doll made a belated first seasonal appearance in the winner’s circle following a track-record performance in Monday night’s Grade 2, $400,000 Presque Isle Downs Masters. The 1-2 favorite to defend her title in the 6 1/2-furlong test on Tapeta, the five-year-old Bowman’s Band mare steadily wore down a game Pure Hot in the final sixteenth to win by 1 1/2 lengths in a time of 1:14 4/5, eclipsing the previous mark of 1:15 set in 2008. Breaking from post 10 and racing wide down the backside as Toto Cor and Winning Image dueled through splits of :21 4/5 and :44, Groupie Doll launched a bid from the back around the far turn while following the stalking Purely Hot, a 10-1 chance who entered the Masters with a perfect mark in six starts over the Presque Isle surface.

Turning for home, it looked a two-horse race with Purely Hot desperately
clinging to a narrow advantage over Groupie Doll, but late in the game class
prevailed as the champion surged past under Rajiv Maragh. Her numerous backers
were rewarded with a mutuel of $3.

Purely Hot held second by three parts of a length over the late-charging
second choice Judy the Beauty. It was two lengths farther back to Sounds of the City,
who was followed by Lotta Lovin, Queen’s
Award, Mystic City, Toto Cor, and Winning Image. Scratched from the field were
Allwewantforxmas and Srikinglybeautiful.

Bred in Kentucky by Fred Bradley and his son, trainer Buff Bradley, Groupie
Doll races for that father-son team, Carl Hurst, and Brent Burns.

Groupie Doll will now attempt to defend her title in two other stakes she won
last year: the October 5 Thoroughbred Club of America at Keeneland and the
November 2 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita. Victories in both
would likely be enough for her to retain divisional championship honors.

In addition to the three aforementioned wins last season, Groupie Doll also
captured the Madison at Keeneland and the Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs. She
began her stakes campaign with third-place efforts in the Sabin and the Inside
Information, both at Gulfstream Park, before reeling off five straight wins
after donning blinkers. That streak came to an end in her final start of the
year, a heart-breaking nose loss against males in the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct.

Sidelined for much of this year due to various ailments, Groupie Doll
returned to action in the one-mile Gardenia at Ellis Park on August 3. Winner of
that one-mile test in her stakes debut in 2011, the chestnut appeared in need of
one when she finished third, beaten a length by Devious Intent. The champion’s
career record now stands at 19-10-4-3, $1,908,850.

Groupie Doll is out of the winning Silver Deputy mare Deputy Doll, who is a
half-sister to dual stakes victor Russellthemussell, stakes-placed Slick Report
and the dam of multiple Grade 2-placed stakes hero Aristotle. This is the same
female family as Grade/Group 1 winners Rootentootenwooten and Prorutori; Grade 2
diva Ivanavinalot; and Grade 3 scorers It’s Tea Time and Kukulcan.

Groupie Doll’s fourth dam is Floral Park, a stakes-winning half-sister to the
dam of Hall of Famer Gallant Bloom as well as a full sister to Delaware and
Ladies Handicap queen Flower Bowl, who is famous for producing Graustark and His
Majesty.

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