Rated by Merit Cruises to Victory in FTBOA Affirmed

Rated by Merit started Vinnie Viola's Saturday on a winning note at Gulfstream Park with a 3 3/4-length victory in the $200,000 Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association Florida Sire Affirmed Stakes less than two hours before his owner's Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers were slated to take the ice for their clash with the Las Vegas Golden Knights at nearby Amerant Bank Arena Oct. 19. Bred and owned by Viola's St. Elias Stable, Rated by Merit remained undefeated in three career starts while winning the second leg of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Series for 2-year-old colts and geldings sired by accredited Florida stallions. The Michael Yates trainee entered the Affirmed off a July 13 debut victory by 9 3/4 lengths and a 6 1/4-length romp Sept. 7 in the $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Dr. Fager Stakes, the first leg of the series. "I just want to thank Bo (Michael Yates). He's done a phenomenal job with the horse," Viola said. "He's really balanced, and it looks like he could be something, so it's exciting." Rated by Merit, the 1-5 favorite in a field of six, broke alertly to grab a lead that would be quickly challenged by Neoequos, the 5-1 second betting choice, along the backstretch and around the turn. After posting fractions of :22.74 and :45.45, Rated by Merit was asked by jockey Jesus Rios, and the Florida-bred colt responded with a strong kick through the stretch to win comfortably. "The race went as we expected. I thought we would be on the lead and (Neoequos) would be pressing us," Rios said. "I am very impressed with the horse. I trust him a lot. When I asked the horse to run, I know he is going to respond." Rated by Merit ran seven furlongs in 1:22.55, just.09 of Soutache's 2017 stakes record of 1:22.46. Neoequos held second, 7 1/4 lengths ahead of Classic of Course. "(Neoequos) ran well, just beaten by a superior horse in the group," said trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. of Neoequos. "We tried, gave it our best, he's a much better horse, credit to him. We're running winning races but we're not winning because we're facing a horse that's better than us." Yates admitted to being a little nervous from Neoequos' strong outside challenge. "When I saw (Rios) cue him a little bit on the turn to check him out, he had horse, and I felt a lot better," Yates said. "He made him work hard. He needs to work hard to move forward." Rated by Merit will have the opportunity to become the 11th colt or gelding to sweep the Florida Sire Stakes series in the $300,000 In Reality Stakes Nov. 30. "I think this is the right path for him, to get him enough time to show us where he wants to wind up," said Viola, who has resisted out-of-town options for his homebred. "We're tickled to death. He's very talented," Yates said. "He just seems to take everything in stride. Today, he had his ears up, pricking his ears back and forth. He knew it was race day." Win N Your In Rebounds in Susan's Girl Troy Johnson and Maritza Weston's Win N Your In, a disappointing third as the favorite to open the Florida Sire Stakes series last month, slipped through an opening along the rail leaving the far turn and drew clear for a 4 1/2-length victory in Saturday's $200,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Susan's Girl Stakes. The seven-furlong Susan's Girl is the second leg in the FTBOA FSS series for juvenile fillies by accredited Florida stallions. Ridden by Miguel Vasquez for trainer Carlos David, Win N Your In completed the distance in 1:25.23 over a fast main track. It was a sharp bounce-back effort for the daughter of Win Win Win after being beaten 6 1/4 lengths in the six-furlong FTBOA Florida Sire Desert Vixen Stakes Sept. 7. "It was the heat. It was really hot that day," David said. "Some horses don't handle it well and she's one of them. She just doesn't like it. I told the guys that as long as we have good weather she's going to rock it, and she did. Thank God for the good weather today." Midwest shipper Rogue Diamond, making just her second career start, broke alertly from post 2 in a field of seven and immediately sprang to the lead, going the opening quarter-mile in :22.39 pressed to her outside by Desert Vixen winner and 3-5 favorite R Morning Brew. Vasquez settled Win N Your In along the rail in third with 31-1 longshot I'malwaysthinking fourth. Rogue Diamond began to tire leaving the backstretch but Vasquez maintained his inside position and scooted past the fading leader approaching the stretch following a half-mile in :46.10. Win N Your In opened up once straightened for home and was unchallenged to the wire, with 49-1 long shot Kip the Distance beating R Morning Brew by 2 3/4 lengths for second. "The initial plan was to go to the lead," David said. "Her best performances have been on the lead, so I told Miguel, 'I would encourage you to go to the lead if you can get it and just kind of set the pace, but if they go just stay back a little bit and let them do their thing and come around.' "She does well taking back a little bit, too, and stalking," he added. "I was a little worried coming around the turn because (Rogue Diamond) was stopping a little bit and I was like, 'We're going to get stopped.' She's gone to the rail before and she does well doing it, so we got lucky there. She drew off and she's just great. She's little, but she can run." Saturday's outcome means the juvenile filly series won't be swept for the 11th straight year, since Scandalous Act in 2013. The series wraps up with the $400,000 FTBOA Florida Sire My Dear Girl Stakes going 1 1/16 miles Nov. 30. "I like her going farther," David said. "I think she's going to do well." Loco Abarrio Survies Inquiry in Gil Campbell After three consecutive second-place finishes, Loco Abarrio survived being pressed on the lead and an inquiry to win the $100,000 FTBOA Gil Campbell Memorial Handicap by a half-length. Owned by Mad Dog Racing Stable and Joseph Parker, Loco Abarrio, a 4-year-old son of Valiant Minister, covered the mile in 1:37.65. After being pressed on the pace by favored Octane and Big Martini throughout fractions of :24.60 and :47.42, Loco Abarrio took a clear lead into the stretch. But the gelding and jockey Edwin Gonzalez drifted down the stretch in front of Big Martini and jockey Emisael Jaramillo. But after several minutes, stewards determined Loco Abarrio's number should stay up. Trained by Ron Spatz, Loco Abarrio was claimed in his second career start for $35,000. Ironically, he was disqualified and placed second that afternoon. "He won and got DQ'd, so we still had all his conditions to go, and we hit them all," Spatz said. "He's very hard-knocking horse, brings his game every time no matter what distance, condition of the track, and today he finally broke through," Loco Abarrio has six wins and 10 seconds in 22 career starts and has earned $393,320.