Groupie Doll vs. Boys At Tosconova
Fred and William Bradley’s 4-year-old Kentucky homebred filly Groupie Doll was a very impressive wire-to-wire allowance winner at one mile in a strong field at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 22, and takes on a bigger challenge Friday as she faces five male rivals in another one-mile allowance feature on Friday, including Jay Em Ess Stable and partner’s highly-regarded 4-year-old colt Boys At Tosconova.
Jockey Calvin Borel gets the return call on Groupie Doll for co-owner
and trainer William ‘Buff’ Bradley as she bids for a fifth victory in
nine career starts with two seconds. The daughter of Bowman’s Band won
the Gardenia Stakes (G3) at Ellis Park last summer and ran big races to
finish second in the $400,000 Charles Town Oaks in September and second
by a head in the Raven Run Stakes (G2) at Keeneland in late October.
“We’re pointing her for the ($100,000) Sabin (G3) (1 1/16 miles on Feb.
25),” said Bradley Wednesday morning. “We tried to get her in a race
for fillies and mares, but the race didn’t go. She’s doing great. I
don’t normally like to do this (filly against colts), but she needs to
run.”
Leading Gulfstream jockey Javier Castellano gets aboard Boys At
Tosconova for the first time for trainer Rick Dutrow as he bids for a
third straight victory on the comeback trail after missing much of the
2011 season. The son of Officer won the Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Saratoga
and finished second to Uncle Mo in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) as a
2-year-old.
Boys At Tosconova was sidelined for 11 months after the good effort in
the Breeders’ Cup, returning with a third-place finish as the 1-to-2
favorite in an allowance race at Belmont Park on Oct. 8. He came back to
win a 6 ½ furlongs allowance test at Aqueduct on Nov. 11 and a one-mile
allowance over the Gulfstream track by a length on Dec. 23.
Another contender in the field for Friday’s race that shouldn’t be
overlooked is Robert LaPenta’s 5-year-old Our Dark Knight with John
Velazquez aboard for trainer Nick Zito. The son of Medaglia d’Oro
finished second last out to Dutrow-trained favorite Trickmeister in a 1
1/16 miles allowance race on Dec. 17. Trickmeister is undefeated and
among the probable favorites for the $500,000 Donn Handicap (G1) on Feb.
11.
Completing the field for Friday’s race are Helene and Stephen Weicholz’
El Kingdom, Paco Lopez; Jessica Colon’s Imperial Czar, Orlando
Bocachica; and Blackacre Farms’ Flatter This, Luis Jurado.