Makin My Move takes on Classy Edition in Key Cents Stakes
Makin My Move will be returning to the New York-bred ranks for the $100,000 Key Cents on Sunday at Aqueduct. The last time she faced statebreds she won by double digits.
The race shares a card with the $100,000 Notebook that drew multiple stakes-winning standout Senbei. Both races are for 2-year-olds bred in New York and will be run over a distance of six furlongs.
Classy Edition, who is 2 for 2, is the probable favorite in the Key Cents. She will be charged with catching both Miss Alacrity, winner of the Colleen at Monmouth who breaks from the rail, and Makin My Move.
Makin My Move flashed her speed in her debut, when she set the pace and drew out to a 12 1/2-length win in a maiden special weight for New York-bred fillies on Aug. 20 at Saratoga. Makin My Move figures to again be prominent Sunday when she breaks from post 7 under Luis Saez.
“I don’t think she’ll be out the back door – at least I hope not,” trainer John Kimmel said. “I hope she breaks and puts herself in a good spot, is forwardly placed and not having to deal with too much kickback.
“She’s a little light on experience, but most of them are.”
Makin My Move has made one start since her debut, finishing fourth, beaten 1 1/2 lengths, in the Grade 3 Matron on turf on Oct. 9 at Belmont Park. Makin My Move raced with the pace in the six-furlong stakes that went in a blazing 1:07.67.
“I had her half-sister, and both of them have a tremendous amount of early pace,” Kimmel said. “Gotta Go Mo had been much better on the grass, so we kind of were aiming to run [Makin My Move] on the grass first time. I had Luis Saez come over and get her gate card, and he said she worked really good on the dirt. So, she ran on the dirt and won off.”
Kimmel still wanted to explore the turf option and had Saez work her on turf following the win at Saratoga.
“Luis told me he liked her even better on the grass,” Kimmel said. “We ran back in the stakes. I thought she ran fairly well, and I think if we had had another start underneath her, she definitely would have been right there.”
The performance was enough to lead Makin My Move to be pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. She did not land in the field and has since been targeting the Key Cents.
Makin My Move is by Carpe Diem. Her dam, Hard to Stay Notgo, was a two-time stakes winner who earned $212,440. Makin My Move races for her breeders, Chester and Mary Broman.
Classy Edition was a 6 3/4-length debut winner over maiden special weight rivals Sept. 5 at Saratoga. She rallied from off the pace on a good track while facing New York-bred fillies.
One start later, Classy Edition won the $150,000 Joseph A. Gimma in the same fashion – by eight lengths in the mud Sept. 24 at Belmont. She’s a half-sister to $500,000 earner Newly Minted.