He was primarlily a sprinter, and he enjoyed coming from behind when in action. You could also call him consistent, for he finished in the money in most of his starts. And by the time he retired, this Bob Baffert trainee owned some graded stakes wins thanks to his resolve to give it all he had once the bell rang.

Bred to be a win-early type, Shakin It Up did not require many tries to get his first picture taken. He did so second time out with a rally at Santa Anita, and that performance landed him a spot in the Grade III Hollywood Prevue Stakes. In his initial try against winners, the Midnight Lute colt came in third to wrap up his rookie year.

Shakin It Up moved to the Grade II level for his three-year-old debut. Sent to the San Vicente Stakes, he started off the 2013 season with a win after a tough stretch battle. Interestingly, Shakin It Up was not too far behind the pace in the San Vicente, informing fans that he was not a one-dimensional runner. Next came another test, however. Traveling to New Mexico for the Grade III Sunland Derby, Shakin It Up was never a factor as he finished fourth.

He would not return until the Grade I Malibu at Santa Anita towards the end of the year, but the dark bay colt did not miss a beat. Closing strongly after being well off the pacesetter, Shakin It Up received a well-timed ride as he became a Grade I winner in a very fast time for the Malibu (1:20.53). In what had been an abbreviated campaign, completing the year with victory in a prestigious race was terrific. But Shakin It Up ended it on an even higher note thanks to collecting a rare sweep of the San Vicente and Malibu.

Progressing to the older horse ranks in 2014, Shakin It Up had hardly tried distances under seven furlongs. Though most of his success was derived from sprinting, Shakin It Up proved he could go long as he enjoyed another triumph in one of Santa Anita's biggest races: the Grade II Strub Stakes at a mile and one-sixteenth. Not as far from the pace like he normally was, Shakin It Up powered home in the final seconds to take the longtime staple of the winter/spring meet. That also gave him two-thirds of the Strub Series, which is a notable accomplishment.

The Strub proved to be the apex of Shakin It Up's four-year-old season. He did not win the rest of the year, alternating between off the board results and minor awards. His best showing after the Strub came in the Grade II Churchill Downs Stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard. Back in a seven-furlong sprint, he ran well to finish a close runner-up to winner Central Banker. Shipping out to Belmont Park from the Bluegrass State, Shakin It Up tried a one-mile turn in the Grade I Metropolitan Handicap. He came on a little bit in the stretch but had far too much ground to make up as he ended up fifth.

In all, Shakin It Up finished third or better in seven of ten starts. It is intriguing to think about what he could have potentially done if he continued racing. He showed some versatility, and the possibility exists he could have maybe won some more routes or put up additional wins by staying closer to the pace.

Still, he put together a productive resume. A multiple graded stakes winner, able to negotiate sprinting and routing, and running well over multiple tracks. And he proved adroit at different running styles as well.

Currently based in Oklahoma, Shakin It Up has sired black-type stakes winners in B.B. Dude and Shake Em Loose, and the minor stakes-placed Hannah Dances.

What that shows is Shakin It Up is handing down his class to at least some members of his offspring. And class was definitely prevalent in this stakes winner during his time in action.