Plenty of speed signed on for Key Cents Stakes

There are some quick fillies entered in the $100,000 Key Cents Stakes on Saturday at Aqueduct. All Over the Map, Playtone, and Shadolamo all were first-call sprint leaders or close to it in their most recent starts. Are they as quick, though, as Time Limit? Possibly not, and that could be the key to the Key Cents, restricted to New York-bred 2-year-old fillies and carded at six furlongs on dirt.

Time Limit’s 108 TimeformUS early pace rating is the highest in the Key Cents, and on replay and in her running lines, her ample speed is readily apparent. She nearly pulled off a 12-1 upset over the talented Fierce Lady going 6 1/2 furlongs in the Seeking the Ante over the summer at Saratoga, then lost both the pace battle and the war in the Joseph A. Gimma Stakes on Sept. 18 at Belmont. Time Limit faded to fourth that day, beaten 10 lengths, as 16-1 shot Naked Avenger came from many lengths back at the five-sixteenths pole to win going away. The way Naked Avenger ran right past pace-stalking Fierce Lady in deep stretch suggested an intemperate tempo had led the race – and Time Limit – to fall apart.

Time Limit returned with a fine second-place finish going six furlongs on turf last month in the Grade 3 Matron Stakes, but at 2-1 on the morning line and with five starts already behind her this year, Time Limit has limited upside at likely deflated odds.

Should the other speed prove capable of keeping up with Time Limit, My Sassy Sarah would be the clear beneficiary, but only if she can transfer her turf form to dirt. My Sassy Sarah is by Summer Front out of a Street Cry mare, and owing to that turf-leaning pedigree, trainer Michelle Nevin said, she has made all three of her starts on grass. She debuted with a solid third-place finish going 5 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga and came back to overwhelm six New York-bred maidens on Sept. 13 at Belmont, winning a six-furlong grass dash by 4 1/4 lengths while going easily to the wire. Sixteen days later, and stretched to 1 1/16 miles, My Sassy Sarah finished a respectable sixth in the Grade 3 Miss Grillo Stakes, and Saturday she takes a considerable class drop while cutting back to what appears to be a more suitable distance – the question being her affinity for dirt.

“She’s been training really forwardly [on dirt] since the day she came in, always handled it well in the morning time,” said Nevin.

My Sassy Sarah has worked behind horses and taken dirt kickback in her training without appearing to be bothered by it.

“It never had any effect on her then, so we’re pretty confident,” said Nevin.

Playtone is drawn in post 2, one slot inside Time Limit. She turned in an impressive maiden-winning performance last out, rating comfortably on the lead before drawing clear to a six-length score. Single Verse has finished first or second in her five starts and also can’t be easily eliminated from consideration.