Three of the five fillies entered Saturday afternoon in Aqueduct’s 34th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Next Move Handicap were trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, and it figured he would be tough to beat.

Sure enough, Elizabeth Seltzer’s Wow Me Free was able to benefit from a stretch duel between stablemate Wild Hoots and Runway Rosie to emerge as a 3 ½-length winner in the nine-furlong race – the last graded stakes on the inner track this season.

Although Wild Hoots stumbled at the start, she was able to regain herself and took the lead around the turn on the fast track, getting the first quarter of a mile in 23.33, the half in .47.57 and three-quarters in 1:11.88 under jockey Mike Luzzi.

Runway Rosie, with Rajiv Maragh up, took up the chase from just outside of the front-runner and surged on the turn. At the quarter-pole, Wild Hoots and Runway Rosie were together, but Wild Hoots opened up again.

Here, jockey Alan Garcia took a clear way to the wire and set Wow Me Free down for the drive. The 4-year-old Menifee filly, making her first start since winning the Ladies Handicap here on December 15 by a neck, ran by the battling gray fillies up front and glided home in 1:50.86 before the crowd of 4,002.

“I was very confident in my filly,” said Garcia, whose mount returned $12.20 to win. “The first time I rode her in the Ladies, she was very skinny. She looked so much better today. I thought it was a different filly. Artie (Magnuson, McLaughlin’s assistant) has done a great job with her. I knew I had a lot of horse coming off the turn.”

Wow Me Free came to McLaughlin’s barn last fall from Danny Vella’s barn in Canada and wound up winning both of her starts and one graded-stakes victory.

“She had a couple of hiccups since her last race,” Magnuson said. “She wasn’t moving quite as well as when she was sent down to us. She’s a pretty nice filly to run like this off the layoff. I assume she will go back up to Canada now. It was great to have her in the barn for a couple of months.”

Runway Rosie, winner of the Rare Treat Handicap last out, got up for second, and Wild Hoots was third.

Stage Luck was fourth and Cowgirls Don’t Cry, the last of McLaughlin’s trio, got off badly, was steadied on the turn and was eased in the stretch.

Sunday is the last day on the inner track.

Racing is scheduled to return to Aqueduct’s main track on Wednesday, April 2.