The 18th Running of the Groupie Doll
August 15, 2021 16:10
ELP Race #8 $125.000 1-Mile Dirt
3YO+ F&M 120/124 Lbs (Plus Penalties)
Track Record-1:33.87 (Hollywood Revolution-2021)
Stakes Record-1:34.82 (Night School-2018)
Back in January of 2020 Lordess claimed the $150.000 Silverbulletday on the early portion of the G1 KYO trail. Fast forward 19-months and the Our Athletes-trained 4yo filly was winless in three subsequent stakes tries going into Sunday’s $125.000 Groupie Doll at ELP. It took 1:35.42 for Lordess to change that as she made a determined stretch run to nail Little Surfer Girl inside the final 20-yards of the 1-mile race on the ELP dirt.
Breaking out of the gate, it was a two-horse battle for the lead as Real Diva and Little Surfer Girl were inseperable on the front end. Two lengths behind the pace-setting duo, Opus Void, Lordess, and Dem Say raced together through an opening quarter in a tepid :24.35. The pace picked-up down in the backstretch as Real Diva and Little Surfer Girl passed the half-mile marker in :47.99 with Lordess and Opus Void racing in tandem two lengths behind and Dem Say another length back on the rail.
As the field got ready to enter the stretch, Little Surfer Girl dropped to the rail and gained an advantage of about a neck on Real Diva as they passed three-quarters in 1:11.33. This created a unique opportunity as normally the horses behind the pace-setters have to decide whether to hold their position and hope for a leader to drift or take the overland route and go wide. In this case, when Little Surfer Girl dropped down to the rail, Lordess was afforded a lane that normally doesn’t come open in the two path. Sensing that the time was now, Lordess took advantage of that opportunity and set her sights on Little Surfer Girl up top.
Real Diva drifted throughout the stretch and Lordess kept drifting just to her inside but still gaining ground on Little Surfer Girl who still held sway on the rail. Opus Void was gaining from the far outside, but not at a rate that would threaten the eventual top two. Well inside of 50-yards, Lordess finally struck to the front and hit the wire a neck in front of a dead-game Little Surfer Girl. Real Diva dug deep to save the show from an advancing Opus Void as that pair hit the wire 11/2 lengths behind Little Surfer Girl.
Lordess (Lord High Admiral o/o Greek Yogurt) improved her record to 14-5-0-3 for career earnings of $297.620 and now has two stakes wins on her ledger. The 4yo filly is the first winner of the race for her trainer (Our Athletes) and jockey (F. Geroux).
Congratulations to Our Athletes and Lordess on conquering the $125.000 Groupie Doll!
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES
