Groupie Doll top two win Churchill stakes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Maybe a sweep of the filly-mare stakes last Saturday at Churchill will help restore the graded status of the Groupie Doll at Ellis next year.

Go Google Yourself and Divine Queen, the one-two finishers in the Aug. 11 Groupie Doll at Ellis, were the respective winners Saturday of the Grade 3 Locust Grove and the Open Mind. The latest running of the Groupie Doll (formerly the Gardenia) was the first time in nearly 30 years it had been downgraded from a Grade 3.

Go Google Yourself (89 Beyer) might not race again until the Falls City at Churchill in late November, said trainer Paul McGee, reasoning the Grade 1 Spinster on Oct. 6 at Keeneland “comes back a little quick” and there may not be another suitable spot before the 1 1/8-mile Falls City.

Divine Queen (86 Beyer) already is turned out in Frankfort, Ky., at the Indian Ridge Farm of trainer Buff Bradley. “That was the plan even before the race,” said Bradley. “She’s been running hard for us and deserves a break.”

The victory for Divine Queen led to an outpouring of support for Bradley. The 55-year-old trainer underwent ablation heart surgery only four days beforehand.

Final BC prep for Covfefe

The brilliant 3-year-old filly Covfefe will have her final prep for the Nov. 2 BC Filly and Mare Sprint as a heavy favorite here Saturday in the $125,000 Dogwood at seven furlongs.

Trained by Brad Cox for LNJ Foxwoods, Covfefe is expected to be part of a short field in the Dogwood. Joel Rosario rode the Into Mischief filly to victory in the Grade 1 Test last month, but Shaun Bridgmohan, who rode her in two of her five preceding races, has the mount back Saturday.

Bell’s the One, Free Cover, and Istan Council were among the opposition expected when entries are drawn Wednesday.

Big day for Kenneally

A few hours before Abscond gave trainer Eddie Kenneally the sixth Grade 1 win of his career with her nose victory in the Natalma at Woodbine on Sunday, Kenneally won a turf-sprint allowance at Churchill with Girls Know Best, a 5-year-old mare making her first start in more than eight months.

Girls Know Best earned a 96 Beyer in winning the $91,558 race by 1 1/2 lengths over male rivals. She runs next in the Grade 3 Franklin County on Oct. 11 at Keeneland.

Pick 5 draws attention

A rare carryover from the previous day resulted in handle of $561,105 in the late pick five Sunday. A pair of longshot winners in the early pick five Saturday (races 1-5) resulted in no winning payoff and nearly $125,000 being carried over.

Tracks differ in how they handle pick five carryovers; some empty the pool with a 4-of-5 payoff. The carryover from any pick five that goes unhit at Churchill automatically is carried over to the late pick five on the next racing date.

The late pick five Sunday paid $1,606.45 for a 50-cent winner.

Seeking the Soul back to California

Trainer Dallas Stewart said Seeking the Soul, winner of the Grade 2 Stephen Foster here in June, will return to California for the Grade 1 Awesome Again on Sept. 28 to prep for the Nov. 2 BC Classic. Both races are at Santa Anita.

Seeking the Soul, a $3.3 million earner for owner-breeder Charles Fipke, has breezed three times at Churchill since finishing seventh as the favorite in the Aug. 17 Pacific Classic at Del Mar.