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Groupie Doll on vacation; Musical Romance aims for Princess Rooney Trainer Buff Bradley admits to not remembering the early days of every horse foaled on his Indian Ridge Farm near Frankfort, Kentucky; however, Bradley certainly remembers the birthday of Grade 1 Humana Distaff winner Groupie Doll. "I remember the day she foaled because she was such a beautiful red filly," Bradley said. "I don't remember them all, but she stood out from Day One. It's pretty cool to watch her now." Bradley bred Groupie Doll with his father, Fred, and they now race the four-year-old daughter of Bowman's Band in partnership with Carl Hurst and Brent Burns. Prior to winning the Humana Distaff in track record time of 1:20.44, Groupie Doll won the Grade 1 Madison on the Polytrack at Keeneland. She was ridden to both victories by Rajiv Maragh. Groupie Doll earned herself a vacation with her back-to-back Grade 1 victories, and Bradley sent her to the farm earlier in the week. "We planned to give her some time off and thought we might do it after the race at Keeneland, but with the (Humana Distaff) being here, we decided to go one more with her," Bradley said. "There isn't much for her right now anyway and the weather is so perfect she can be out in the field all day, every day." Bradley said Groupie Doll is enjoying her time at the farm with her paddock mate, Brass Hat. The 11-year-old gelded son of Prized retired last year with 10 victories to his name and more than $2.1 million in earnings. "I like to tell people, 'Yeah, I've got a couple of Grade 1 winners running around the field.'" When Groupie Doll is brought back to the racetrack, she will continue her preparations for her year-end goal of the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, which will be run at Santa Anita on November 2. Pinnacle Racing Stables and Bill Kaplan's Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Musical Romance, runner-up in the Humana Distaff after her fourth in the Madison, returned to her home stall in the Calder barn area Tuesday morning. "It's great to have her back home," trainer and co-owner Kaplan said. "Just being around her, to have her in our presence, is an honor. She's the classiest horse I've been around. To make 37 starts and to win on all surfaces at all distances, I call her the 'Iron Horse of the Century' for what she has done." In her most recent start, the Humana Distaff, Musical Romance crossed the wire second while chasing home runaway winner Groupie Doll. Though assumedly disappointed that his mare didn't win, Kaplan was clearly impressed with the way she performed. "That race might have been one of the best performances of her career," Kaplan said of Musical Romance's effort in the Humana Distaff. "The winner was amazing. Not only did she set a track record and win by seven, but two races earlier, Shackleford, a Preakness winner, and Amazombie, the Eclipse Award Sprint champion, were one-two in a race that went in 1:21 (1:21.06 in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs). Then she came back and ran in 1:20 (1:20.44). "The track wasn't any different; the weather wasn't any different. And she ran faster than a Preakness winner and an Eclipse Award winner. That was just a remarkable performance, and I have no problem running second to that." With Musical Romance back at Calder, the Grade 1 Princess Rooney, the main event on the Summit of Speed program on July 7, seems a logical destination for the five-year-old daughter of Concorde's Tune. "That is in the plans right now," Kaplan said. "She was second in the race last year, and since the race is here at home, we're going to look to run there. "But I'm really concerned with just one thing now and that's getting a healthy, sound, and ready Musical Romance back to the Breeders' Cup. If you want to know the goal, that's it."
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