This paper argues that predicate doubling in Spanish is a construction for which an analysis based on multiple copy spell-out cannot be empirically substantiated. Such an approach to the phenomenon cannot account for (i) cases in which the duplicates are not in a c-command relation, (ii) instances of finite predicate doubling, and (iii) the anaphoric nature of the duplicates within the clause. It is argued that these patterns are better explained by taking the dislocated verbal duplicate to be a contrastive topic that marks as given the verb and (optionally) other constituents within the clause to facilitate the assignment of narrow focus. This analysis accounts for the distribution of focus in the construction, at the time that allows to explain why Spanish predicate doubling displays genus-species splits and islands restrictions.