BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Undefeated Florida-bred Rated by Merit, sidelined since winning the $121,000 Discovery in October, faces off with champion Book’em Danno in Saturday’s Grade 2 Carter presented by NYRA Bets at Aqueduct. The $300,000 Carter has attracted six 4-year-olds and older who will battle over seven furlongs on the undercard for the 101st running of the $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino, (G1).
Trained by Chad Brown for Vincent and Teresa Viola’s St Elias Stable, Rated by Merit flashed a 106 Beyer Speed Figure in winning the one-mile Discovery by a length-and-a-quarter in his only start of 2025.
The son of Battalion Runner, also bred by St Elias Stable, went four-for-four as a 2-year-old in 2024, all with 92+ Beyer numbers and winning by a combined 25 3/4 lengths. He swept the male division of Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Florida Sire Stakes. winning the $200,000 Affirmed, the leg of the series with a 99 Beyer, the best of his class in 2025.
Rated by Merit is out of Speightstown mare Banner Waving and has earned $468,750 from his five career starts. He has trained into this event at Payson Park in Florida, including a half-mile breeze in :49.20 on March 28, ranked 15th among 82 works that morning.
A Grade 2 victory outside Florida in the Carter would earn for the Violas as breeders, a $5,000 Export Incentive from the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
Manny Franco, who rode him to victory in the Discovery, gets the return mount and they will break from post five.
Book’em Danno, the Eclipse Award-winning Champion Male Sprinter of 2025, enters off a seven-month break after trainer Derek Ryan prepared him over the winter at Tampa Bay Downs.
Owned by Atlantic Six Racing, the 5-year-old gelded son of Bucchero won four of five races last year including three graded stakes. He won a $150,000 overnight handicap at Colonial Downs to start the year in March; then was second, just neck shy of winner Mindframe in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes over a sloppy seven furlongs in May. He then rattled off three straight, culminating with a length triumph in the Grade 1 Forego going seven furlongs at Saratoga on August 23.
Book’em Danno has won 10 of 16 career starts with three seconds and a third while earning $1,855,425.
He has post two and jockey Paco Lopez, who rode him in all five starts last year.
Rounding out the field are General George Stakes-winner Point Dume with Edwin Gonzalez named to ride; Acoustic Ave, who was fourth in the Grade 3 Tom Fool last out and has Jose Lezcano taking the assignment; Toboggan-winner Be You with Kendrick Carmouche up; and Forest Boyce rides last out Not For Love Stakes-winner Quint’s Brew.
Return to the April 2 issue of Wire to Wire
