Lady Kate cruises to first stakes win in Groupie Doll

Lady Kate has been well-regarded throughout her life, as seen by her price tag of nearly $500,000 as a yearling. The filly delivered on that promise by connecting for the first stakes victory of her career, setting the pace and drawing away to win the $100,000 Groupie Doll Stakes by 4 3/4 lengths on Sunday at Ellis Park.

Lady Kate ($10), who had Florent Geroux in the irons for trainer Eddie Kenneally, showed the way in the Groupie Doll while closely attended by New Roo, ticking off honest splits of 23.67 seconds for the opening quarter-mile, 47.03 for the half, and 1:11 flat for six furlongs. She shook her foe off turning for home and opened a two-length lead in the stretch, then continued to widen her margin down the lane. She finished the mile on a fast track in 1:35.89.

New Roo held second by a head over Istan Council. Favored Street Band, a Grade 1 winner last season, finished sixth after she was steadied on the first turn.

:: Click to learn about our DRF's Free Past Performance program.

Lady Kate, by Bernardini and out of the Grade 2-winning Street Cry mare Princess Haya, was bred in partnership by Godolphin and Eileen Hartis and was a $485,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by Anderson Stables. Unraced as a juvenile, she won once from five starts last year as a 3-year-old and also was runner-up in the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa to Point of Honor.

This year, Lady Kate has seemingly matured as an older filly, with four wins in six starts. After two allowance-level victories early this year at Gulfstream Park, she finished fifth in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie Stakes in March, then seventh in her return to Kentucky racing in an optional-claming race in May at Churchill Downs. She then was a 2 1/2-length winner under similar conditions June 21 at Churchill, setting her up for her return to stakes company.