Groupie Doll nears return

Groupie Doll continued her march toward a return to action when breezing five furlongs Friday at Churchill in 1:00.60 under Calvin Borel.

Buff Bradley, trainer and co-owner of the 2012 female sprint champion, said he caught Groupie Doll in her first quarter-mile in “25 and change, so she really picked it up all the way around there. Calvin really liked the way she went, too.”

Bradley is considering the Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga on Aug. 25 as a comeback spot for his star mare, along with the Sept. 9 Presque Isle Downs Masters.

Groupie Doll has had four works since getting time off during the winter. A winner of 9 of 17 career starts and $1,657,850, she ended 2012 with an easy win in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint before being defeated a nose by Stay Thirsty in the Cigar Mile in late November. Rajiv Maragh is her regular jockey.