BY BROCK SHERIDAN

St. Elias Stable’s undefeated Florida homebred Rated by Merit, who swept last year’s male divisions of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Florida Sire Stakes by a combined 16 lengths, has returned to the work tab at Saratoga Race Course over the last month with his most recent breeze coming Sunday.

The 3-year-old son of Battalion Runner worked five furlongs Sunday in 1:01.06, the fourth fastest of nine efforts at the distance that morning. He also worked the same distance last Sunday, stopping the clock in 1:01.32, the fastest of nine at the distance.

Rated by Merit won last year’s $200,000 Affirmed division of the Florida Sire Stakes by three-and-three-quarters lengths while covering seven furlongs in 1:22.55, equating to a 99 Beyer Speed Figure. That was the best Beyer number among all 2-year-olds in North America last year and all four of his races produced Beyer numbers that ranked in the top 14 nationally.

He set a stakes record in last year’s $100,000 Florida Sire Stakes Dr. Fager, finishing six furlongs in 1:09.45 for a 93 Beyer number. He equalled that 93 Beyer with a 1:45.71 time for a mile-and-one-sixteenth in the $300,000 Florida Sire Stakes In Reality.

Trainer by Michael “Bo” Yates, Rated by Merit is out of Banner Waving, by Speightstown and finished last year with $400,000 in earnings. He has not started this year.

Return to the Sept. 9 issue of Wire to Wire