Win N Your In Seeking Redemption in $200,000 Susan’s Girl
O’Connell Seeks Continued Success in Florida Sire Stakes
Zayas Confident in Susan’s Girl Favorite R Morning Brew’s Versatility

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – St. Elias Stable LLC’s Rated by Merit has dazzled in the first two races of his promising career, but don’t look to be blinded by the undefeated, untested 2-year-old colt in the morning.

The homebred son of Battalion Runner, who has been installed as the 3-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s $200,000 Affirmed at Gulfstream Park, will never be allowed to leave his race on the track during training hours.

While heavy rains last weekend may have disrupted the training schedules of other horses, Rated by Merit’s preparation for the second leg of the Florida Sire Stakes series was hardly inconvenienced.

“We wouldn’t have breezed any closer than 10 days to begin with. We had an opportunity to breeze 13 days out, but we decided he had done enough,” trainer Michael Yates said. “One of the things I’ve learned is that he doesn’t need to breeze fast all the time. We put more emphasis into his gallops, which keeps us from needing to breeze him as often and as fast.”

Rated By Merit, who earned a then-high 92 Beyer Speed Figure for his July 13 debut victory by 9 ¾ lengths, has breezed only twice since he captured the first leg of the Florida Sire Stakes series with a 6 ¼-length romp in the Sept. 7 Dr. Fager, in which he earned a 93 figure. He breezed an easy half mile in 52.46 seconds 20 days following his most recent victory and came back to breeze a strong five furlongs in 59.76 seconds a week later.

Yates is confident that Rated by Merit’s performance won’t be diminished by the added distance of the seven-furlong Affirmed or, looking ahead, the 1 1/16 miles of the $300,000 In Reality, the Florida Sire Stakes final Nov. 30.

“I believe the two turns is actually better,” Yates said. “I think he’ll improve going two turns.”

While Rated by Merit will command the most attention, I’malwaysthinking will represent Yates in Saturday’s $200,000 Susan’s Girl, the second leg of the Florida Sire Stakes series for 2-year-old fillies.

Bred and owned by Yates’ Shadybrook Farm Inc., the daughter of Long On Value enters the seven-furlong stakes off an Aug. 30 debut victory for Florida-bred fillies at six-furlongs.

“I was pretty confident that she would run well. She had trained very well before her first race,” Yates said. “We got a little behind the 8-Ball, as far as the [Sire} Stakes go, because she got cast in her stall early on and scraped her legs up. It kind of set us back about a month. Otherwise, we felt we had the kind of horse that could have been competitive in the first leg.”

I’malwaysthinking is out of the Warrior’s Pride mare, Happy Shoes, who raced only once, finishing a troubled fifth on turf for Yates and a partner.

“That day when we ran her, she got into the temporary rail and got a puncture wound in her shoulder. It got infected and she got a lot of time off,” Yates said. “As it turned out, the partnership dissolved, and I kept her to breed.”

Win N Your In Seeking Redemption in $200,000 Susan’s Girl

Troy Johnson and Maritza Weston’s Win N Your In will seek redemption at Gulfstream Park in the $200,000 Susan’s Girl, the second leg of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series for 2-year-old fillies sired by accredited Florida stallion.

The daughter of Win Win Win is coming off a disappointing third-place finish as the 1-2 favorite in the $100,000 Desert Vixen, the first leg of the Florida Sire Stakes series Sept. 7. She earned heavy favoritism with her 7 ½-length maiden-breaking victory July 6 and her subsequent 4 ¾-length score in the Aug. 10 Sharp Susan, a six-furlong open stakes for juvenile fillies.

Win N Your In got away from her rail post position a bit slowly before stalking the pace set by R Morning Brew in the six-furlong Desert Vixen, in which she made a three-wide bid before coming up short in the stretch, finishing 6 ¼ lengths behind the victorious pacesetter.

Trainer Carlos David has reason to believe that Win N Your In was not herself in the Desert Vixen.

“Right after her win in the Sharp Susan, she had a little setback. She had a little cut that got infected. She missed a workout and we kind of had to press at the end,” David said. “The weather didn’t help. It was like 100 degrees out. I know that people are going to say, ‘Everybody’s hot. Everybody’s going to run under the same sun.’ But some horses don’t handle it well, and she’s one of those horses. I’m hoping for a better climate this weekend. I think she can get the distance fine. It’s just a matter how the weather plays out that day.”

David is also scheduled to saddle Arindel’s Lou in Saturday’s $200,000 Affirmed, the second leg of the Florida Sire Stakes series for 2-year-old colts and geldings. The homebred son of Brethren, who had finished second in four of his first five starts, broke through with a victory in his first start after being transferred to David.

Stretching out to the Affirmed distance of seven furlongs, Lou recovered from a slow start with a six-wide rally to prevail by a half length over a muddy track.

“He’s going to be the closer. There’s a lot of speed. Hopefully, the distance helps him again and we can get them at the end,” David said. “It’s challenging. That horse (Rated by Merit) is the one to beat and he’s very fast. “

David, who has been working on Lou’s tendency to break slowly from the gate, is hardly looking past the Affirmed, but he is looking forward to the opportunity to run him around two turns – ideally in the $300,000 In Reality, the 1 1/16-mile final of the Florida Sire Stakes series Nov. 30.

“He’s going to love two turns. I think this race is going to be the most challenging for him,” David said. “He’s going to rock in the In Reality.”

David and Arindel have teamed for Florida Sire Stakes success in the past with Lynx, who captured by 2022 Desert Vixen and Susan’s Girl, and Octane, who won the 2021 Affirmed and In Reality.

O’Connell Seeks Continued Success in Florida Sire Stakes

Among Kathleen O’Connell’s 2510 career victories are eight wins in the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series.

The veteran South Florida trainer will seek her ninth FSS success Saturday with Don’t Fool With Me in the $200,000 Susan’s Girl, the seven-furlong second leg of the series for juvenile fillies sired by accredited Florida stallions. The Stonehedge LLC homebred finished fifth behind R Morning Brew, Saturday’s 4-5 morning-line favorite, in the Sept. 7 FSS Desert Vixen after finishing second to that rival in her Aug. 9 debut. She returned to graduate by 4 ¾ lengths Sept. 29.

“She’s one I think will improve with every start. For some, it just takes a while for things to go together and click. She’s been progressing very nicely,” O’Connell said. “I think she can handle the seven furlongs. I think it will actually be easier on her as far as it would be as much of a rush, and she has a very nice stride.”

O’Connell has teamed with the late Gil Campbell and Stonehedge, still operated by his widow Marilyn, for seven of her eight FSS successes, beginning with Ivanavinalot’s wins in the 2002 Susan Girl and My Dear Girl. O’Connell saddled Campbell’s Scandalous Act for a sweep of the FSS series in 2013.

Zayas Confident in Susan’s Girl Favorite R Morning Brew’s Versatility

Although Averill Racing’s R Morning Brew’s first two races were won in front-running fashion, jockey Edgard Zayas is confident 2-year-old filly is more than just a need-the-lead kind of filly.

Zayas will be aboard for the third straight race when R Morning Brew looks to keep her perfect record intact Saturday at Gulfstream Park in the $200,000 Susan’s Girl, second leg of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series for juvenile fillies by accredited Florida stallions.

Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., R Morning Brew drew Post 5 in a field of seven for the Susan’s Girl and was installed as the 4-5 program favorite.

“I think we have a really good post position. I’ll just try to help her break out of there and [put her] wherever she’s comfortable,” Zayas said. “We are on the outside and I don’t think we have to push her. If she’s on the lead by herself and comfortable, good. If we’re stalking, I think [it’s] good. I think she can do anything. She’s pretty classy.”

Bred in Florida by Dori Morgan Hyatt, R Morning Brew is a younger half-sister to multiple stakes winner and three-time graded stakes-placed filly Dancing N Dixie, whose three victories include the one-mile and 70-yard Our Dear Peggy last fall over Gulfstream’s all-weather Tapeta course.

R Morning Brew, purchased for $30,000 at the OBS April sale, debuted with a 4 ½-length maiden special weight triumph Aug. 9 over a sloppy and sealed Gulfstream main track. She stepped up in her start to capture the first leg of the FSS series, the Sept. 7 Desert Vixen, by 5 ½ lengths.

The daughter of Curlin’s Honor was not favored in either race, both of which came sprinting six furlongs. She will stretch out to seven-eighths for the Susan’s Girl.

“One time I worked her out of the gate, and she was pretty slow out of there, but after that she really picked it up. I thought she was definitely going to appreciate distance, but the way she ran really surprised us,” Zayas said. “Then she came back to run even better.

“I think definitely the longer she goes the better she will even get,” he added. “From before she ever ran, I thought she was going to like going a little longer, so the fact that she won the first two it was a little bit of surprise for us. Hopefully we’re right about her.”

R Morning Brew improved her time from 1:11.45 to 1:10.85 in the Desert Vixen and comes into the Susan’s Girl with the best last-out Beyer Speed Figure of 74. The only one of her rivals with faster numbers is Win N Your In, who got a 79 in her July 6 graduation and a 78 for her victory in the Aug. 10 Sharp Susan, both at Gulfstream. Win N Your In was third in the Desert Vixen.

“At the beginning [R Morning Brew] was sort of push-button and then after that it was kind of like, you’ve got to ride her,” Zayas said. “But she switches leads in the stretch and she kicks on really nice.”