Groupie Doll up against Strike the Moon yet again in the Raven Run Stakes
After her maiden breaker, Brant Laue’s Groupie Doll was well on course, piling up wins in her second year of racing, but just when she was running for her 4th win in a row, entered Strike the Moon and spoiled her stats by clinching the $ 400,000Charles
Town Oaks from Groupie Doll in the final strides.
The 3-year-old Buff Bradley trained filly, Groupie Doll has been presented with the opportunity to settle the score with Strike the Moon in her next start Grade 2, $250,000 Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland on 22 October, 2011.
The daughter of Bowman’s Band, Groupie Doll has never raced over the synthetic surface, and her last 4 starts have come over dirt.
Trainer Buff Bradley usually has his horses stabled 80 miles away at Churchill Downs, but when he realized he will be running Groupie Doll over the Poly Track in the Raven Run Stakes, he went out of his to train the filly here.
“We did it so she’ll be familiar with the surface and won’t have to ship,” said Bradley,he further said that “She’s going into the race very well.”
Prior to the Charles Town Oaks second place disappointment, Groupie Doll was coming off a win against older fillies and mares in the Grade 3 Gardenia Stakes at Ellis Park on 13 August, at about a mile on dirt.
Groupie Doll under her regular rider G Kuntzweiler, guided the filly past opponents to cover the distance of a mile in 1 minute and 37.37 seconds, and in the process she defeated Secret File and Stage Magic who finished second and third, respectively.
Groupie Doll broke her maiden in her second attempt at Churchill Downs over at six and a half furlongs, and then went on to bag an allowance race over at seven furlongs at Ellis Park.
The filly on 4 July, 2011, covered the seven furlong distance in 1 minute and 23.53 seconds, as National Spark filled the runner up slot followed by Touch Screen to finish third.
Groupie Doll was assigned post number 2 as the favourite to go against 13 three-year-old fillies set to race over seven furlongs on 22 October.
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