Vacay easy winner in Key Cents Stakes

Vacay made short work of her four rivals in Sunday’s $100,000 Key Cents Stakes, drafting the pace while four wide and drawing clear in the final furlong for a 5 1/2-length victory in the six-furlong stakes for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies at Aqueduct.

Rossa Veloce, who prompted the pace early under Joel Rosario, finished second, 1 3/4 lengths in front of Party At Page’s. Chasing Cara, the early pace-setter, finished fourth followed by Shanes Pretty Lady.

The win was the second in as many starts for Vacay, a daughter of Not This Time owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Repole Stable and trained by Todd Pletcher.

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Breaking from the outside post in the five-horse field under Irad Ortiz Jr., Vacay stayed out in the middle of the track while Chasing Cara ran an opening quarter of 22.25 seconds before being overtaken by Rossa Veloce after a half-mile run in 45.89.

Vacay remained four-wide into the stretch and struck the front just above the eighth-pole. She edged away from the field under a vigorous hand-ride from Ortiz.

Vacay covered the six furlongs in 1:11.69 and returned $5.10 as the favorite.

“I thought it was a very professional performance on her part,” Pletcher told the New York Racing Association publicity department. “She didn’t break great in her first start, but broke better today. She finished up the way you would want one to. She’s a quality filly and it looks like she’ll handle more distance as well.”

Pletcher indicated that Vacay would most likely stay in New York for the winter to take advantage of the New York-bred stakes program. Races such as the Rego Park in January and Maddie May in February are both restricted to New York-bred 3-year-old fillies.