Groupie Doll Among Saturday Breeders' Cup Winners

Groupie Doll repeated last year's win in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint this year for trainer and co-owner Buff Bradley (Photos courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire).
By America's Best Racing
Sweet Repeat for Groupie Doll
Fan favorite Groupie Doll scored a repeat win in the $1 million Filly and Mare Sprint when she held off a late rally from Judy the Beauty in the seven-furlong race.
Sent off as the 3-to-1 favorite Groupie Doll took over from pacesetter Sweet Lulu near the top of the stretch and spurted away to a clear advantage. 
Judy the Beauty and Dance Card ensured Groupie Doll would have to work hard for the win, but the 2012 champion female sprinter was up to the challenge. She completed the seven furlongs in 1:20.75 for her 11th win in 21 career starts and pushed her earnings past $2.4 million for trainer Buff Bradley, who bred Groupie Doll in partnership with his father, Fred. The Bradleys own Groupie Doll in partnership with Carl Hurst and Brent Burns.
Groupie Doll will be offered on day two of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale on Wednesday.
RAJIV MARAGH CELEBRATES AFTER WINNING A SECOND FILLY AND MARE SPRINT ON GROUPIE DOLL

Photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire
Mizdirection Doubles Up for Rome and Partners
Jim Rome took home his second Breeders’ Cup win in two tries at the event when Mizdirection won the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint for the second year in a row.
Mizdirection was closer to the pace this year than in the last running of the race, sitting around the front of midpack. She had her work cut out for her, running down determined front-runner Reneesgotzip, who finished third in the Turf Sprint last year, but Mizdirection was too much late to win in a close finish.
Reneesgotzip and Tightend Touchdown finished in a dead heat for second. Unbridled’s Note, who was second in this race last year, finished fourth.
Mizdirection went off as the favorite at 2.70-to-1 for jockey Mike Smith, who won his third Breeders’ Cup race of the weekend with the Turf Sprint victory. Mizdirection is raced by Rome’s Jungle Racing, Strauss, Nish, Grohs, MSK Racing Ventures, and Beljak and trained by Mike Puype.
This probably will be Mizdirection's final start as she is scheduled to be sold at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale on Monday night.
MIZDIRECTION PULLS AHEAD TO WIN TURF SPRINT

Photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire
Juvenile Upset for New Year's Day 
New Year’s Day surged past race favorite Havana in the final sixteenth of a mile to win the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in his stakes debut for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and owners Gary and Mary West.
The Wests purchased New Year’s Day for $425,000 at the 2012 Keeneland September yearling sale and with this big win the Street Cry colt entered the discussion for the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old male and the 2014 Triple Crown races.
Havana, winner of the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes, looked like a winner in midstretch, but New Year’s Day charged through on the inside and reeled in Havana late to prevail in 1:43.52 for 1 1/16 miles. New Year’s Day returned $23 for a $2 win ticket.
New Year’s Day is the first starter produced by Grade 1-placed Justwhistledixie, a Dixie Union mare who won a pair of Grade 2 races during her racing career.
NEW YEAR'S DAY UPSET THE BREEDERS' CUP JUVENILE

Photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire
Europe Continues Turf Domination with Magician Win in Turf
Irish Two Thousand Guineas winner Magician became the fourth European invader to take the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf in the last six years when he beat The Fugue to the finish line. 
A 12.50-to-1 longshot, Magician came from the back of the 12 horse field to pull out a stunner of a win in the closing stride of the race. Magician didn’t start moving through the pack until the final turn and it took him nearly the whole stretch to reach The Fugue, who had taken control as the field left the turn. In the end, Magician beat The Fugue by three-quarters of a length with Indy Point in third and the returning Point of Entry in fourth. Magician covered the 1 1/2 miles in a time of 2:23.23.
The win was jockey Ryan Moore’s second on the card and allowed him to sweep this year's two Breeders’ Cup older horse turf route races. The win was the fourth Breeders’ Cup Turf victory for Aidan O’Brien and his second victory in the race in the last three years. Magician is owned by the Coolmore group of Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Mrs. John Magnier.
MOORE SAVORS VICTORY ABOARD MAGICIAN

Photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire
Second Cup Success for Secret Circle
Secret Circle held off fast-finishing Laugh Track to win the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and become only the third horse to win two different Breeders’ Cup races.
Secret Circle won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint, which has been discontinued, in 2011 and prevailed in the 2013 Sprint in only his second start since April 2012 for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. Secret Circle returned from 1 ½ years on the sidelines with a dominant victory in an allowance race on Oct. 14. The 4-year-old Eddington colt showed he was back on top of his game in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, completing three-quarters of a mile in 1:08.73 for his seventh win in nine starts for owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman.
He joined Beholder (Juvenile Fillies, 2012; Distaff, 2013) and Zenyatta (Distaff, 2008; Classic 2009) as horses who won two different Breeders’ Cup races.
Baffert moved into second in lifetime Breeders' Cup wins with 10, nine behind leader D. Wayne Lukas.
SECRET CIRCLE WON THE BREEDERS' CUP IN ONLY HIS SECOND START THIS YEAR

Ria Antonia Reigns in Juvenile Fillies Via DQ
Ria Antonia gave owners Loooch Racing Stable and Christopher Dunn the thrill of a lifetime on Saturday and proved that the best things in life are worth waiting for in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita Park.
Ria Antonia surged boldly in the stretch on the outside of pacesetter She’s a Tiger, who drifted out and bumped Ria Antonia approaching the finish line. She’s a Tiger held on gamely to cross the finish line first, but racetrack stewards ruled the bumping incident caused Ria Antonia to lose momentum and disqualified She’s a Tiger, placing Ria Antonia and rewarding for by far the best race of her career.
Ria Antonia is the first Breeders’ Cup winner for trainer Jeremiah Englehart. The Rockport Harbor filly, a $9,000 auction purchase as a yearling, finished fifth in a stakes race in her first career start before a dominant win in her next race. She then finished fourth in the Synford Stakes at Saratoga and fifth in the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes before earning her first career stakes win in the Breeders’ Cup at 32.30-to-1 odds.
She’s a Tiger as placed second and was followed by fast-finishing Rosalind and Sweet Reason.
RIA ANTONIA CAPTURES 2013 BREEDERS' CUP JUVENILE FILLIES
Photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire
Dank States Eclipse Case in Filly and Mare Turf
Dank’s return to America proved fruitful for her connections when she won the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.
Dank was right behind Emollient for most of the race and refused to settle for jockey Ryan Moore as the pacesetter led the field around the 1 ¼-mile turf course. But when the field hit the stretch, Dank took control of the race. It was tight at the finish line with Romantica making a huge run to take second, three-quarters of a length behind Dank, with Alterite edging Emollient by a nose for third.
Dank won the Beverly D. Stakes last out at Arlington Park, putting her name in the hat for the Eclipse Award as champion turf female. Her win was the first Filly and Mare Turf victory for jockey Ryan Moore and the second for trainer Sir Michael Stoute.
Dank went off at odds of 3-to-2 and paid $5 to win for a $2 win ticket.
DANK HOLDS ON TO WIN FILLY AND MARE TURF

Photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire
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