Li’l Tootsie made it two consecutive stakes wins for the 4-year-old daughter of Tapiture with a career-best effort in Sunday’s $125,000 Groupie Doll S. at Ellis Park.
The win came six weeks after she captured the $150,000 Anchorage S. at Churchill Downs. Li’l Tootsie is one of Tapiture’s 115 winners this year, the most for any Fourth-Crop sire.
Li’l Tootsie was unhurried early in the one-mile Groupie Doll while wide on the turn and down the backstretch. She made a four-wide move for the lead midway on the final bend, emerging with the lead at the top of the stretch. Set down for the drive, she gamely held off Jilted Bride to win by 1 ½-lengths in 1:37.42 on a fast track.
The victory earned a 92 Beyer Speed Figure, her best in 17 lifetime starts. Her record now stands at 7-1-3, with earnings of $532,874 for Joel Politi.
“This is our first stakes win at Ellis since Serengeti Empress,” Politi said. “[Li’l Tootsie] has been good her whole career really. From minute one when she broke her maiden, she’s run some really great races. If I could have 10 of her, I’d do that in a second.”
Bred by David Latham, Li’l Tootsie is one of four stakes winners out of Informative Style. L’il Tootsie sold for $105,000 to her owner at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling sale.
