Multiple stakes-winning mares Great Venezuela and Tiffany Gold will return from their summer breaks when they line up in Saturday’s $60,000 Groupie Doll Handicap at Gulfstream Park, providing trainer Victor Barboza Jr. with two experienced contenders as the Sunshine Meet gathers momentum.
The 5½-furlong Groupie Doll Handicap, scheduled for fillies and mares aged three and above, will be contested on Gulfstream Park’s all-weather Tapeta course. The race is the first of two stakes events on an 11-race programme, which will also include the $75,000 Juvenile Fillies Sprint over six furlongs on the main track. The opening race is scheduled for 12:20 p.m.
Barboza arrives at the weekend in strong form after an impressive run over the past three weekends. His horses have competed on seven of nine racing days, producing 10 victories, including four on November 7. That performance has moved him into third place in the Sunshine Meet trainer standings with 24 wins from 80 starters, placing him behind Jose D’Angelo and Saffie Joseph Jr. The autumn meeting will continue through November 22.
His four-win performance on November 7 was completed by King Manolete, a two-year-old Florida-bred colt making an encouraging career debut. The son of freshman sire Roadster won a seven-furlong maiden optional claiming contest on the main track by 2½ lengths.
The victory has given Barboza further encouragement about the stable’s younger runners, with King Manolete regarded as a promising prospect for the coming season. An allowance contest or a state-bred race in December could be considered for the youngster’s next appearance.
Great Venezuela Heads Groupie Doll Handicap Challenge
While the stable continues to develop its younger horses, Great Venezuela and Tiffany Gold provide Barboza with proven performers. The five-year-old mares have combined for 16 victories, including five stakes successes, from 35 starts. Their overall record also includes 28 top-three finishes and earnings of $724,755.
Both mares were given an extended break during the summer, with their connections choosing to keep them in Florida rather than move them between locations. Barboza has been pleased with their recovery and preparation ahead of their return to competition.
Great Venezuela, representing Orlyana Farm, will carry 124 pounds from Post 3 under Diego Herrera. The mare enters the contest with 10 victories from 21 starts and has finished among the first three in 19 of those appearances.
Her record on Tapeta is particularly impressive, with seven victories from 10 starts on the surface. Those performances include wins in the 2025 Islamorada and Portofino Bay overnight handicaps, both over 5½ furlongs.
Her two most recent appearances came on turf. She finished third behind Tiffany Gold in the July 18 Lady’s Island overnight handicap before recording an optional claiming victory on August 17, with both races contested over five furlongs.
Great Venezuela has also established herself on turf, winning the five-furlong Lightning City at Tampa Bay Downs last year.
The return to Tapeta is expected to suit the mare, whose connections are also looking towards an important career earnings milestone. Her earnings are approaching $495,000, and another victory would take her beyond the half-million mark.
Tiffany Gold, owned by Lean Entertainment, will start from Post 1 with Edwin Gonzalez aboard. Assigned 123 pounds, the five-year-old mare is listed at 4-1 in the race programme.
She has not competed since successfully defending her title in July’s Lady’s Island. Although her strongest performances have come on turf, where she has recorded five victories, she also has a Tapeta success from three appearances on the surface.
Her speed could prove an important factor, particularly if she manages to secure a forward position from the inside draw.
Duboff and Vindicate Cha Cha Bring Strong Recent Form
Duboff represents another significant challenge. The four-year-old New Jersey-bred filly, trained by Greg Sacco, arrives following two consecutive victories and has won three of her four starts this year.
Owned by Cal-Ram Racing and William Sacco, Duboff has six victories from 12 career appearances, all achieved on turf. Her latest successes came on August 22 over 5½ furlongs and October 7 over five furlongs, with both victories achieved through front-running performances.
She will break from Post 4 under Paco Lopez, carrying 121 pounds.
Trainer Mike Lerman will also be represented by Vindicate Cha Cha and Secret Revenge.
Vindicate Cha Cha, owned by Clear Stars Stable and Mitre Box Stable, has demonstrated consistent improvement throughout her career. The five-year-old mare won the Little Miss Holly overnight handicap over 5½ furlongs on Gulfstream Park’s Tapeta course on June 14 before returning to win an optional claiming contest on turf by 1¼ lengths on October 25.
Both victories came in front-running fashion.
With six wins from 13 starts on synthetic surfaces, along with two second-place and three third-place finishes, Vindicate Cha Cha brings a strong record into Saturday’s contest. She will start from Post 7 under Leonel Reyes, carrying 123 pounds.
Lerman believes the mare has benefited from her extended summer break and has continued to develop. Her recent turf success has also added another dimension to her racing profile, although her previous performances on synthetic surfaces remain particularly encouraging.
Secret Revenge, owned by Lerman, will take her place from Post 5 under Carol Cedeno with 118 pounds. The five-year-old daughter of Nyquist has finished among the first three in six of her 15 starts, recording two victories.
Most of her career appearances have come on the main track, with one previous Tapeta start in February 2025. Her participation in the Groupie Doll Handicap will provide another opportunity to gain experience on the synthetic surface.
Imaginary Stables’ Braganza, drawn in Post 2 under Jose Morelos with 121 pounds, and Eric Sizemore’s Fantastic Flame, starting from Post 6 with Heriberto Figueroa aboard at 119 pounds, complete the eight-horse field.
Groupie Doll’s Legacy at Gulfstream Park
The race carries the name of Groupie Doll, one of the outstanding female sprinters of her generation.
Co-bred by trainer William ‘Buff’ Bradley and his father, the late Kentucky State Senator Fred Bradley, Groupie Doll recorded 12 victories from 23 starts and accumulated nearly $2.7 million in career earnings between 2011 and 2014.
Her career included seven graded-stakes victories, four at Grade 1 level, highlighted by consecutive triumphs in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. She was named champion female sprinter in both 2012 and 2013.
Groupie Doll brought her racing career to a close with a commanding victory in the 2014 Hurricane Bertie Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park. After competing for the Bradley family through much of her career, she made her final two appearances for Whisper Hill Farm.
She was named a finalist for induction into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2025 and was retired from broodmare duties in May 2026.
Saturday’s Groupie Doll Handicap will bring together an experienced group of mares, with Great Venezuela’s impressive Tapeta record, Tiffany Gold’s speed and the recent form of Duboff and Vindicate Cha Cha providing several compelling storylines.
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