Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint: Eleven line up to derail Groupie Doll

ARCADIA, Calif. – Groupie Doll … for or against?

That’s the obvious question horseplayers will need to answer for themselves as they dig into the past performances for the seventh running of the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Buff Bradley, the trainer of Groupie Doll, is strongly advocating the “for” position – but he is very biased, of course. He also is keenly aware that skeptics are expecting to see the mare fail to repeat in the seven-furlong race she dominated last year in becoming an overwhelming choice as the divisional champion.

“She has really come back to herself since her last race,” said Bradley. “Her energy level is absolutely sky-high and I’m very happy with how she’s doing. I think getting her back on the dirt and stretching back out to seven-eighths really plays in our favor.”[bc_video_id:308866:]

Groupie Doll won the 2012 Filly and Mare Sprint by 4 1/2 lengths as the 7-10 favorite, but the tote board won’t be displaying anything nearly as short this time around after she has won just one of her three 2013 starts in preparing for this return engagement. With Rajiv Maragh riding for the 11th straight time, the 5-year-old mare was pegged as the 5-2 morning-line choice after being assigned post 11 in the field of 12.

[BREEDERS’ CUP 2013: Fields with DRF odds and comments]

“The post is perfect,” said Bradley. “Rajiv can let the inside speed go and get the horse into a nice rhythm down the backside. Hopefully she’ll fire like she has so many times before.”

Bradley bred and raised Groupie Doll in partnership with his 82-year-old father, Fred, with the Bradleys selling ownership shares in her to Carl Hurst and Brent Burns. This will be the mare’s last start for these connections, as she is scheduled to be sold at auction Wednesday at Keeneland in their home state of Kentucky. Fred Bradley, suffering from health issues, did not make the long trip west and will be watching on television with friends and family, said his son.

As for fans staking out an “against” position in regard to Groupie Doll, there is no shortage of choices.

The most capable challengers are Dance to Bristol (post 8, Xavier Perez) and Book Review (post 2, Rafael Bejarano), the respective one-two finishers in the Grade 1 Ballerina in August at Saratoga; Teddy’s Promise (post 5, Victor Espinoza), a local standout with four stakes wins since she faded to eighth as the pacesetter in the 2012 Filly and Mare Sprint; Judy the Beauty (post 9, John Velazquez), who upset Groupie Doll when they met four weeks ago in the six-furlong Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes on the Polytrack surface at Keeneland and has been first or second in 11 of 12 career starts; and Sweet Lulu (post 12, Julien Leparoux), a once-beaten 3-year-old turning back in distance after a runner-up effort in the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing.

Viable longer-priced threats include Starship Truffles, Dance Card, and Summer Applause, while those facing the biggest odds are Renee’s Titan, Ismene, and Great Hot.

Book Review, a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred with eight workouts since the Ballerina, will need racing luck from that inside post, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert acknowledged.

“She’s a light-bodied filly and I really wanted her to be outside,” said Baffert. “But that’s the way it is. We’ll hope for the best.”

Teddy’s Promise, a California-bred trained by Ron Ellis, dislikes racing inside of rivals and probably will have to allow Ismene to clear off before Espinoza maneuvers her to the outside.

“If we can just get the right trip, we might be able to pull this off,” said Ellis. “All I know is this mare is much, much better than she was at this time last year.”

Sweet Lulu, winner of the Grade 1 Test at Saratoga, comes well-drawn for her midpacking style, and Jerry Hollendorfer, her Hall of Fame trainer, is eager to see how the filly fares in her first stakes attempt versus older opposition.

“We have the utmost respect for Groupie Doll and all the other horses,” said Hollendorfer. “At the same time, we’re very excited about our filly’s chances. We feel she could match up real well.”

The Filly and Mare Sprint is carded as the sixth of 12 Saturday races and the third of the nine straight BC events, with post time set for 1:21 p.m. Pacific. The race had been a Friday event since its 2007 inception before being moved to Saturday last year.