BY GULFSTREAM PARK PRESS OFFICE
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL—Michael Yates is well known in South Florida for his low-key, even-keeled demeanor. He is a trainer who prefers to let his horses do the talking.
The Yates-trained Rated by Merit said a mouthful July 13 at Gulfstream Park when the Florida-bred colt scored an eye-catching nine-and-three-quarter-length debut victory. St. Elias Stable Stable’s homebred 2-year-old certainly got a lot of people talking after his front-running victory in a six-furlong maiden special weight race earned a 92 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest number achieved by any 2-year-old in the country this year until Ferocious, a $1.3 million yearling purchase, was credited with a 96 after his impressive debut at Saratoga Saturday.
Even the level-headed Yates admits to being more than a little impressed with Rated by Merit’s debut, in which the Florida-bred son of Battalion Runner ran six furlongs in a sharp 1:10.50 without need of much urging from jockey Jesus Rios.
“There’s obviously a lot of excitement about him. The numbers thing created a lot of buzz about him,” Yates said. “It was a very impressive visual race, as well. We’re excited. We don’t want to get overconfident, but we’re excited.”
Rated by Merit has all the makings of a high-caliber Thoroughbred, Yates said.
“The best way for me to describe him is: uncomplicated. With some of these horses, it’s like trying to train a Swiss watch. He’s just very straightforward. There’s no fuss about him. He does what you ask him to do. He’s just a classy horse,” Yates said. “Physically, he’s big enough, strong enough and very athletically built. He’s a well-balanced horse—nice and correct. He’s a nice horse.”
Rated by Merit returned to the Gulfstream Park worktab last Tuesday with a half-mile breeze in :50.04 seconds.
“It was just a maintenance work. He was a little sharp going away from the pole and we got him to settle. We didn’t want him to go fast. The target was 49-50.” Yates said. “He came out of the race like he went into the race. He’s pretty uncomplicated.”
A decision concerning Rated by Merit’s highly anticipated next start has yet to be made.
“We’re going to work him a couple more times, and then we’ll decide,” Yates said.
The son of Battalion Runner is eligible for the 2024 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series that gets underway with the $100,000 Dr. Fager at Gulfstream Park Sept. 7.
The six-furlong Dr. Fager will co-headline the Florida Sire Stakes card Sept. 7 with the $100,000 Desert Vixen, a six-furlong stakes for juvenile fillies sired by accredited Florida stallions.
Troy Johnson and Maritza Weston’s Win N Your In is the 2-year-old filly with the highest Beyer Speed Figure eligible for the Sire Stakes. The daughter of Ocala Stud’s hot freshman sire Win Win Win will tune-up for Desert Vixen in Saturday’s $95,000 Sharp Susan, a six-furlong open stakes for 2-year-old fillies, at Gulfstream.
The Carlos David-trained Win N Your In graduated July 7 by seven-and-a-half lengths while covering five-and-a-half furlongs in 1:05.05 and earning a 79 Beyer Speed Figure. Win N Your In finished third in her debut behind fellow Florida-bred You Need Me, who finished second in her debut in the $106,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies and finished ninth in the US$95,714 My Dear at Woodbine. Also entered in the Sharp Susan is Sire Stakes-eligible Wiggle An’ Wine, who won her only start by three-and-a-half lengths June 1 while covering five furlongs in :59.85 for trainer Jose Pinchin.
On May 2, Sire Stakes eligible fillies Kip the Distance and Popstyle finished second and third respectively at four-and-a-half furlongs. Kip the Distance returned two weeks later to win by a length at five furlongs while Popstyle returned to finish second behind Kentucky-bred Speed of Sound before winning June 22 at five furlongs on Tapeta by nearly five lengths.
Both fillies returned in the July 28 Colleen won by Dreamaway at Monmouth Park. Popstyle, trained by Carlos David, finished fourth while Kip the Distance, owned and trained by Angel Rodriguez, was seventh.
