After posting the highest Beyer Speed Figure in the country at the time, a 92 for his 9 3/4-length debut win on July 13, the question was what could St Elias Stable’s Rated by Merit do for an encore?
The answer was to run even faster the second time, fast enough to register an eye-catching 6 1/4-length victory over Neoequos in Saturday’s $100,000 Dr. Fager Division of the Florida Sire Series at Gulfstream Park.
Rated by Merit completed six furlongs in 1:10.50 seconds in winning at first asking for trainer Michael Yates earlier this summer. He came back off an eight-week layoff and ran a full second faster, completing the distance in 1:09.45, to capture the first leg of the open division of the Sire Series in arguably even more impressive fashion on Saturday.
Breaking from the extreme outside in an eight-horse field, Rated by Merit was alert to begin, settled in perfect striking position just off the early pace of Neoequos, gained command three wide into the stretch, before widening his advantage readily out near the center of the strip and finally switching back to his right lead inside the eighth pole.
Neoequos ran on gamely after relinquishing the lead to the odds-on favorite, fending off a bid to his inside from the rail-skimming Classic of Course to prove second-best while no match for the winner.
Rated by Merit, a St. Elias homebred by Battalion Runner, was guided to victory by Jesus Rios and paid $2.80.
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“It kind of went as I thought it would,” Yates said. “He’s trained like he could do that. There was speed inside of him and he stalked the speed and when it was time to run he accelerated. He’s very uncomplicated. He does things very easily and he’s a fast horse.”
Yates, who is confident Rated By Merit will handle two turns, said all options will be explored before deciding what’s next.
The second division of the Sire Series, the seven-furlong Affirmed and seven-furlong Susan’s Girl for fillies, will be run at Gulfstream on October 19.
Like Rated By Merit, R Morning Brew moved forward off an impressive and one-sided debut win of her own, withstanding early pace pressure before drawing away to an easy 5 1/2-length triumph over Wiggle An’ Wine in the $100,000 Desert Vixen Stakes, filly counterpart to the Dr. Fager. Win N Your In, the 1-2 favorite after beating open company decisively in the Sharp Susan Stakes a month earlier, finished third.
R Morning Brew, a daughter of Curlin’s Honor owned by Averill Racing and trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., led at every call before pulling away to a 4 1/2-length victory while competing over a sloppy track in her lone start on August 9, earning a relatively modest 65 Beyer in the process. She showed that same speed right from the outset of the six-furlong Desert Vixen under jockey Edgard Zayas.
R Morning Brew held a narrow advantage in the run down the backstretch while prompted by Sharp Susan runner-up Wiggle an’ Win. R Morning Brew came on again after being headed by that rival on the final turn, edged clear upon settling into the stretch then increased her advantage while kept under steady urging to the end.
Wiggle An’ Win gained a short and brief lead nearing the quarter pole, could not stay with the winner leaving the bend, then fought back herself after being passed by Win N Your In near midstretch to best the others. The latter, runaway winner of the Sharp Susan against open company four weeks earlier, ranged up three wide to challenge the top pair entering the stretch, but could not sustain her bid.
R Morning Brew covered the distance over a fast track in 1:10.85 seconds and paid $6.80.
“I’ve had Florida horses forever [and] never had one I got to run in the first (division of the series),” Averill said. “Last year Harper (R Harper Rose) had to scratch (as the likely odds-on favorite the morning of the Desert Vixen). It was just heartbreaking. To finally get to run in it and win it, this is a race that, as a Florida guy supporting Florida racing for such a long time, I really wanted to win. To be in the first one this year and to have everything ahead of you, it’s fun.”
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