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Groupie Doll Puts on a Show in Humana Distaff
Favored Groupie Doll made it consecutive grade I wins when she dominated the field in track-record time while taking the $334,500 Humana Distaff Stakes (gr. I) at Churchill Downs May 5 (VIDEO). The final time for the seven-furlong main track event for older fillies and mares was 1:20.44, shaving .06 off the record established May 5, 2001 by Alannan. Groupie Doll won by 7 1/4 lengths. Fred and Buff Bradley's homebred, trained by Buff Bradley, took the lead from pacesetting Mildly Offensive leaving the turn and took command in the stretch for jockey Rajiv Maragh to win in a romp. Groupie Doll won the Vinery Madison Stakes (gr. I) by three lengths on the Polytrack at Keeneland in her prior race April 12. "I told Rajiv to put her in the race early, but he got to the front earlier than I thought he would," said Buff Bradely. "When I saw that, I said, 'She's going to gallop from here.' Finishing has never been an issue with her. Musical Romance, last year's Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (gr. I) winner at Churchill, finished a distant second. Magical Feeling ran third. Groupie Doll, a Kentucky-bred 4-year-old by Bowman's Band out of the Silver Deputy mare Deputy Doll, is owned in partnership by the Bradleys with Carl Hurst and Brent Burns. It was no contest through the lane as Groupie Doll gradually built an insurmountable advantage over a field that appeared to be closely matched. Kept to her task by Maragh, Groupie Doll led by 5 1/2 lengths at the furlong mark and continued to extend the lead to the wire. "She went right out and put me in good position," Maragh said. "She wanted to go at the three-eighths pole, but the plan wasn’t to do that right then. But she was doing it so willingly, I didn’t want to take that away from her. When she moved she really took off. Groupie Doll and Musical Romance each carried top weight of 123 pounds.
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