Groupie Doll's first foal set to debut

The first foal out of two-time Eclipse Award champion female sprinter Groupie Doll, named Tapability, was born early and spent the first months of his life in a veterinary clinic. After overcoming that rough beginning, the 3-year-old is set to make his career debut Saturday at Fair Grounds.

The Tapit colt is the third choice on the morning line for a maiden special weight going six furlongs. Like his famed dam, Tapability is trained by Buff Bradley, who bred the champion with his late father, Fred Bradley, and campaigned her with partners. Mandy Pope purchased the mare for $3.1 million out of the 2013 Keeneland November breeding stock sale, and Tapability will run in the colors of her Whisper Hill Farm.

“He’s pretty much like Groupie Doll in his aggressiveness,” Bradley said. “When he gets out there and wants to do it you can see that he’s really on it. She might have been a little more laid back around the barn area whereas he’s a bit more aggressive around the barn and in his stall. It’s probably because he’s a colt, but you can tell that he’s a very happy horse, always wants to play. He’s very manageable, though.”

Tapability was born on March 5, 2015; his dam had been due to deliver him that March 11. Foals delivered early may be weak and are vulnerable to illness or infection. The colt was initially too weak to stand or nurse, and was sent to Rood and Riddle Equine Clinic for round-the-clock care and recovery. He was able to return that May to Timber Town, where Pope boards her mares.

Groupie Doll recovered in good order from the foaling. She was bred back to Tapit, and in 2016 delivered a filly, now named Doll Collection. She has a yearling colt by Tapit, and is back in foal to him for 2018.