Groupie Doll Looms Large in TCA

Fred Bradley, Buff Bradley, Carl Hurst and Brent Burns’ Groupie Doll, the champion female sprinter of 2012, will face five rivals Saturday when she seeks to become the second repeat winner of the $200,000 Thoroughbred Club of America (G2).

The Thoroughbred Club of America, a “Win and You’re In” race for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) to be run Nov. 2 at Santa Anita, will go as Saturday’s sixth race with a 3:45 p.m. (ET) post time.

Winner of last year’s TCA by 6 1/2 lengths, Groupie Doll will try to join Excitable Lady (1982-83) as the only repeat winner of the race that was inaugurated in 1981. Groupie Doll used last year’s TCA victory as a springboard to success four weeks later when she won the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

Regular rider Rajiv Maragh has the call Saturday on Groupie Doll, who will break from post position six.

Chief among Groupie Doll’s rivals are two fillies who are undefeated at Keeneland: Gypsy Robin and Judy the Beauty.

Now owned by A J L Productions, Jungle Racing and William Strauss, Gypsy Robin has won three races here, including Grade 2 victories in the Beaumont and Lexus Raven Run in 2012. Trained by Mike Puype, Gypsy Robin will be ridden by Garrett Gomez and break from post position three.

Wesley Ward owns and trains Judy the Beauty, who is 2-for-2 at Keeneland. Judy the Beauty, who ran third behind Groupie Doll in the Presque Isle Downs Masters (G2) in her most recent start, will break from post position one and be ridden by John Velazquez.

The field for the Thoroughbred Club of America from the rail out is as follows: Judy the Beauty (Velazquez, 120 pounds), Purely Hot (Harry Vega, 122), Gypsy Robin (Gomez, 120), TanglewoodTale (Shaun Bridgmohan, 120), Livi Makenzie (Julien Leparoux, 122) and Groupie Doll (Maragh, 124).