Stay Thirsty with a last second bob on Groupie Doll wins the Cigar Mile
It was as close as it gets, as Stay Thirsty and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner, Groupie Doll, duelled determinedly in the final few yards, but it was Mike Repole’s Stay Thirsty who got the bob on Buff Bradley’s 4-year-old filly in the Grade 1, 343,000 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct Racetrack on 24 November, 2012.
Notching his first victory since winning the 2011 Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga, Stay Thirsty surged by a nose to snap his six race losing streak, and most importantly gave Repole and Todd Pletcher their third stakes win of the Holiday card.
The duo earlier landed the Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle Stakes with Unlimited Budget, and then went on to saddle a winner with Overanalyze in the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen Stakes.
Their graded stakes win streak started back on 22 November, 2012, at Aqueduct Racetrack, when the veteran runner, Caixa Eletronica won the Grade 3, $150,000 Fall Highweight Handicap.
In the Cigar Mile, Bowman’s Band’s 4-year-old filly, Groupie Doll, had been stalking in third as Coil went on to post the opening quarter mile in 23.80 seconds, and then Buffum took over and completed half-mile in 47.04 seconds.
Groupie Doll under Rajiv Maragh in a field of five made a three wide move turning for home, and gained a narrow lead over the pacesetters, but Stay Thirsty in fourth showed an amazing turn of foot, as he came roaring down the stretch.
It was a tenacious run to tire down the filly, who prior to the Cigar Mile has won five graded stakes on the trot, three being grade 1 victories, and in the final stride Stay Thirsty had his nose in front and by an inch he won the race with a winning time of 1 minute and 35.47 seconds, as Coil finished third.
"I wasn't sure; I thought we got a good bob, but I still wasn't 100 percent sure," Pletcher remarked. "He's been a good horse every day that we've had him; he was successful at 2 and won races like the Jim Dandy (gr. II) and Travers at 3, and the breeders love milers. He proved today he can be versatile enough to do all of those things. It was a huge win for him."
Tags: