Gulfstream: 3-for-3 Rated by Merit, Win N Your In score

Rated by Merit started owner Vinnie Viola’s Saturday on a winning note at Gulfstream Park with a 3 3/4-length victory in the $200,000 Florida Sire Affirmed Stakes. This came less than two hours before Viola’s Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers were slated to take the nearby ice for their clash with the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

Bred and owned by Viola’s St. Elias Stable, Rated by Merit remained undefeated in three career starts while winning the second leg of the 2024 Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Florida-sire stakes for 2-year-old colts and geldings produced by accredited Florida stallions. The Michael Yates trainee entered the Affirmed off a July 13 debut victory by 9 3/4 lengths and a 6 1/4-length romp Sept. 7 in the $100,000 Dr. Fager, the first leg of the Florida-sire series.

Click here for Gulfstream Park entries and results.

“I just want to thank Bo (Michael Yates). He’s done a phenomenal job with the horse,” Viola said. “He’s really balanced, and it looks like he could be something, so it’s exciting.”

Rated by Merit (1-5), the favorite in the field of six, broke alertly to grab a lead that would be quickly challenged by Neoequos (5-1), the second betting choice, along the backstretch and around the turn. After posting fractions of 22.74 and 45.45 seconds, Rated by Merit was asked by jockey Jesús Rios, and the colt responded with a strong kick through the stretch to win comfortably.

“The race went as we expected. I thought we would be on the lead and (Neoequos) would be pressing us,” Rios said. “I am very impressed with the horse. I trust him a lot. When I asked the horse to run, I know he is going to respond.”

Rated by Merit ran seven furlongs in 1:22.55, just 0.09 seconds off Soutache’s 2017 record of 1:22.46. Neoequos held second, 7 1/4 lengths ahead of Classic of Course.               

“He ran well, just beaten by a superior horse in the group,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said of Neoequos. “We tried, gave it our best. He’s a much better horse, credit to him. We’re running winning races, but we’re not winning, because we’re facing a horse that’s better than us.”

Yates admitted to being a little nervous from Neoequos’s strong outside challenge.

“When I saw (Rios) cue him a little bit on the turn to check him out, he had horse, and I felt a lot better,” Yates said. “He made him work hard. He needs to work hard to move forward.”

Rated by Merit will have the opportunity to become the 11th colt or gelding to sweep the Florida-sire series with a start in the $300,000 In Reality on Nov. 30.

“I think this is the right path for him to get him enough time to show us where he wants to wind up,” said Viola, who has resisted out-of-town options for his homebred.

Rated by Merit earned a 92 Beyer Speed Figure according to Daily Racing Form for his debut victory and a 93 for his Dr. Fager win, ranking among the fastest 2-year-olds in the country.

“We’re tickled to death. He’s very talented,” Yates said. “He just seems to take everything in stride. Today he had his ears up, pricking his ears back and forth. He knew it was race day.”

The 1 1/16-mile distance of the In Reality shouldn’t pose a problem for Rated by Merit, his trainer said.

“I think the In Reality is the next step,” Yates said. “It’s two turns and we’ll get ready for the winter meet.”

Win N Your In draws away in Susan’s Girl

Win N Your In, a disappointing third as the favorite to open the series last month, slipped through an opening along the rail leaving the far turn and drew clear for a 4 1/2-length victory in the $200,000 Florida Sire Susan’s Girl. It was the seven-furlong second leg in the juvenile-fillies division of the series.

Ridden by Miguel Vásquez for trainer Carlos David and owners Troy Johnson and Maritza Weston, Win N Your In ($6.80) completed the distance in 1:25.23. It was a sharp bounce-back effort for the daughter of Win Win Win after being beaten by 6 1/4 lengths in the six-furlong Desert Vixen on Sept. 7.

“It was the heat. It was really hot that day,” David said. “Some horses don’t handle it well, and she’s one of them. She just doesn’t like it. I told the guys that as long as we have good weather, she’s going to rock it, and she did. Thank God for the good weather today.”

Midwest shipper Rogue Diamond, making just her second career start, broke alertly from post 2 in the field of seven and immediately sprang to the lead, going the opening quarter-mile in 22.39 seconds. She was pressed to her outside by Desert Vixen winner and 3-5 favorite R Morning Brew. Vásquez settled Win N Your In along the rail in third with 30-1 long shot I’malwaysthinking in fourth.

Rogue Diamond began to tire leaving the backstretch, but Vásquez maintained his inside position and scooted past the fading leader approaching the stretch following a half-mile in 46.10 seconds.

Win N Your In opened up once straightened for home and was unchallenged to the wire. The 45-1 long shot Kip the Distance beat R Morning Brew by 2 3/4 lengths for second.

Don’t Fool With Me, I’malwaysthinking, Rogue Diamond and Wiggle An’ Wine completed the finish in that order.

“The initial plan was to go to the lead,” David said. “Her best performances have been on the lead, so I told Miguel I would encourage you to go to the lead if you can get it and just kind of set the pace, but if they go just stay back a little bit, and let them do their thing and come around.’

“She does well taking back a little bit, too, and stalking. I was a little worried coming around the turn, because (Rogue Diamond) was stopping a little bit, and I was like we’re going to get stopped. She’s gone to the rail before, and she does well doing it, so we got lucky there. She drew off, and she’s just great. She’s little, but she can run.”

Averill Racing’s R Morning Brew, trained by Joseph and ridden by Édgard Zayas, lost for the first time after winning her first two starts by 10 combined lengths.

“It’s horse racing,” Zayas said. “Last time we beat that filly pretty easily. This time she got the jump on us and opened up and kept on going. I guess that’s the way she wants to be ridden. Last time she got in traffic and didn’t fire. Next time in the third leg, hopefully our filly will run her race.”

Saturday’s outcome meant the juvenile-fillies series won’t be swept for the 11th straight year, all since Scandalous Act in 2013. The series wraps up with the $400,000 My Dear Girl going 1 1/16 miles Nov. 30.

“I like her going farther,” David said. “I think she’s going to do well.”