By Steve Sherack
The fastest 2-year-old so far this season didn't graduate at either Del Mar or Saratoga.
That honor belongs to–at least on the Beyer Speed Figure scale (through Aug. 2)–St Elias Stable homebred Rated by Merit (c, 2, Battalion Runner–Banner Waving, by Speightstown), who earned a 92 rating when airing by 9 3/4 lengths for trainer Michael Yates going six furlongs on debut at Gulfstream Park July 13. That is four points higher than the co-second fastest duo of Mentee (City of Light), the younger full-brother of champion Fierceness, and Colloquial (Vekoma), who ran one-two at the Belmont at Big A meeting June 15.
“It was a very visually impressive race, for sure,” Yates said. “He had worked well and I expected that he would run well. It was a little bit of a 'Wow' for me.”
Wow, indeed.
Backed as the second choice at odds of 2-1, Rated by Merit was gunned to the front from his inside draw and was hounded by 4-5 favorite and fellow firster Forged Steel (Vekoma) through an opening quarter in :22.27. Traveling nicely while under a snug hold approaching the quarter pole, the Florida-bred kicked for home with authority, and, despite hanging on his left lead for most of the stretch, increased his advantage to the wire to win for fun.
Rated by Merit returned to the worktab with a four-furlong breeze in :50.04 (5/7) at Gulfstream Park July 30. A target for his next start is still to be determined, according to Yates.
“He came out of the race good,” Yates said. “Just had an easy half-mile maintenance breeze. He's doing very well.”
He continued, “We're just gonna go one step at a time. Right now, we're not exactly sure what race we're gonna point to. He's gonna breeze a couple more times before we decide.”
Rated by Merit hails from the third crop of Battalion Runner, who carried the Viola family's colors to a pair of in-the-money finishes in the 2017 GII Wood Memorial Stakes and GIII Dwyer Stakes. The son of Unbridled's Song stands for $2,500 at Ocala Stud. The W.S. Farish-bred and -raced Banner Waving won one of 11 career starts. She brought $19,000 from St Elias while in foal to Catalina Cruiser at the 2020 Keeneland November sale.
“This is the first horse that I've trained for them,” Yates said. “He's a Florida-bred and a homebred and they were looking for a Florida-based trainer to place some horses like that with. I'm happy to have him. He's the only one that I have for them.”
Yates, represented in back-to-back renewals of the GI Kentucky Oaks with Dorth Vader (Girvin) and Fiona's Magic (St Patrick's Day) in 2023-24, took out his trainer's license in 1991. The native of Ocala is also the owner and operator of the 50-acre Shadybrook Farm, the home of his dozen broodmares and a five-furlong training track. Yates currently has 28 horses in training at Gulfstream Park.
“It's always nice when you have a young horse with a lot of raw talent,” Yates concluded. “That's what we do this for. You just never know where one like this is gonna come from.”
Rated by Merit wins by a daylight in race 2 under @JockeyRios! #GulfstreamPark #RoyalPalmMeet pic.twitter.com/7FfDLqsChX
— Gulfstream Park (@GulfstreamPark) July 13, 2024
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