Groupie Doll adds her second winner of the winter

A decade after her first championship campaign, Groupie Doll is emerging as a solid broodmare, with two maiden winners early this year giving her four winners from as many starters.

Groupie Doll, by Bowman’s Band, won the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in both 2012 and 2013 to lock up divisional Eclipse Awards for both seasons. She was purchased by Mandy Pope, who breeds and races as Whisper Hill Farm, for $3.1 million at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale a few days following the second victory. She has now produced four winners for Whisper Hill, all by perennial leading sire Tapit.

:: DRF BREEDING LIVE: Real-time coverage of breeding and sales

Groupie Doll’s 3-year-old filly Doll Baby was the first maiden special weight winner this year for the mare, winning her debut Jan. 30 at Oaklawn Park in front-running fashion. Her full sister Tap for Me gave their dam a double at the meet two weeks later. She led throughout to score by 4 1/4 lengths while ridden out Sunday in her third start, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 84.

Next in line for Groupie Doll is her unnamed 2-year-old colt, from the first crop of Triple Crown winner Justify.

Untapable, Enable first foals

Eclipse Award champion Untapable’s first foal, Brentley, was officially second on debut Saturday night on the Sam Houston turf.

Brentley, a 4-year-old Frankel colt, races as a homebred for Winchell Thoroughbreds and is trained by Steve Asmussen, the same connections as his dam. He disputed the pace early going a mile on turf and held the lead into the stretch before being overhauled to finish third. Dyna Strike won by a half-length over Optimal Tap, who was three-quarters of a length ahead of Brentley. Optimal Tap was disqualified to fifth for interference.

Untapable won the 2014 Kentucky Oaks and Breeders’ Cup Distaff. In all, she won eight graded stakes and earned more than $3.9 million.

The daughter of Tapit spent the early portion of her broodmare career overseas to be bred to unbeaten champion Frankel, producing Brentley in 2018 and an unnamed colt by the stallion in 2019. Since returning to Kentucky, the mare has produced one foal in the last three years. She has a yearling colt by the Winchells’ Horse of the Year Gun Runner, who set a record for freshman earnings with his first crop last year while also finishing as the nation’s leading juvenile sire.

In one of the most anticipated foalings of the season, champion Enable delivered her first foal, a colt by fellow Cartier European Horse of the Year Kingman on Friday afternoon at Juddmonte in England.

“Enable has taken to her maternal duties extremely well,” Juddmonte said in a social-media announcement. “Special moments are worth the wait!”

Enable won 15 of 19 starts, including 11 Grade 1/Group 1 races, and earned more than $14 million, all for owner-breeder Juddmonte. The daughter of Nathaniel won the 2017 and 2018 editions of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. She added the Breeders’ Cup Turf after her second Arc victory, becoming the only horse to ever win the two major fall events in the same year. Her other major victories included the English and Irish Oaks, three editions of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and two editions of the Yorkshire Oaks.

Enable’s first mating, to Juddmonte’s Kingman, was planned by Juddmonte founder Prince Khalid bin Abdullah prior to his death in January 2021. His family has continued his international operations. Enable will be bred this season to Darley’s internationally successful sire Dubawi.