BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Undefeated Florida-bred Rated by Merit makes his much-awaited return Saturday during the Belmont at Big A meet at Aqueduct Race Course in the $125,000 Discovery Stakes for 3-year-old non-winners of a graded stakes at a mile or over. A homebred for Vincent and Teresa Viola’s St. Elias Stable, Rated by Merit will be saddled for the first time by Chad Brown.
Last year at Gulfstream Park, Rated by Merit became 11th horse to sweep male division of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes, taking the $100,000 Dr. Fager, $200,000 Affirmed and $300,000 In Reality by a combined 16 lengths.
He set the stakes record in the Sept. 7 Dr. Fager, covering six furlongs in 1:09.45; and the 99 Beyer Speed Figure he produced in winning the seven-furlong Affirmed on Oct. 19 was tops among all 2-year-olds in North America last year. He was assigned a 93 Beyer in winning the Dr. Fager and In Reality, both figures ranking in the top 10 among juveniles in North America in 2024; and the 92 Beyer assigned to his nine-and-three-quarters-length maiden victory at Gulfstream on July 13 ranked in the Top 14.
The Discovery will be the first race for Rated by Merit since the 2024 In Reality.
An earner of $400,000 in his four starts, Rated by Merit is by Battalion Runner out of Banner Wavering, by Speightstown.
Rated by Merit has several bullet works coming into his sophomore debut, the most recent a five-furlong breeze in 1:01 flat at Saratoga on Sept. 20, the fastest of eight that morning. His last morning breeze was Saturday at Saratoga when he clocked four furlongs in :48.89, the 24th fastest of 113 moves at the distance. He also went four furlongs in :48.23 on Sept. 24, which rated the fastest of 68 half-mile works that morning.
Manny Franco will ride Rated by Merit from post three in the field of five.
The Todd Pletcher-trained Uncaged looks for his first stakes victory while making his first start since finishing seventh in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets at Saratoga Race Course on June 7. In his only other start against added-money company came when sixth in the mile-and-one-eighth Peter Pan (G3) during the Belmont at Big A meet on May 10.
Uncaged has won two of five career starts including a length-and-three-quarters score in a first level, $100,000 optional claiming going a mile over a muddy and sealed track at Aqueduct on April 6.
Uncaged boasts earnings of $125,450 and will be ridden by Kendrick Carmouche from post two.
Rounding out the field are Wise Up with Ricardo Santana Jr riding, Luis Saez has the mount on Dreambuilder and Andy Hernandez has the call on Light Forever.
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