Gulfstream Park Stakes Previews

By David Joseph —-

R Morning Brew Has Tough Act to Follow in $200,000 Susan’s Girl

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Averill Racing LLC’s R Morning Brew will have a tough act to follow when the Saffie Joseph Jr. trainee goes to post in Saturday’s $200,000 Susan’s Girl at Gulfstream Park in the second leg of the 2024 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes, series for juvenile fillies sired by accredited Florida stallions.

Averill Racing LLC and Joseph were represented quite well in last year’s edition of the seven-furlong stakes by R Harper Rose, who remained undefeated in three lifetime starts following a four-length triumph as the 3-10 favorite.

R Morning Brew, who has been installed as the 4-5 morning-line favorite for the Susan’s Girl, will seek to also remain undefeated in three lifetime starts Saturday, but the daughter of Curlin’s Honor is hardly a mirror image of R Harper Rose.

“They’re different. R Harper Rose had a lot more speed. R Harper Rose, early on, we thought was going to be really good,” Joseph said. “This one has been kind of a surprise, which is a good thing, when they jump up on race day and show it.”

R Morning Brew will face six rivals in the Susan’s Girl, which will co-headline Saturday’s 12-race program with he $200,000 Affirmed, the second leg of the Florida Sire Stakes for 2-year-old colts and geldings.

“She’s never been the fastest work horse, so it’s been kind of a surprise how she’s shown up on race day,” Joseph said.

Like R Harper Rose, R Morning Brew won impressively at first asking. Unlike her older stablemate, who won an allowance race before jumping into Florida Sire Stakes action in the Susan’s Girl, R Morning Brew went directly into the $100,000 Desert Vixen, the six-furlong first leg of the Florida Sire Stakes Sept. 7, emerging a most decisive 5 ½-length winner.

“She’s been a pleasant surprise. Her first time out I didn’t know what to expect. She just trained evenly. She won well, but we weren’t sure if it was the slop,” Joseph said. “I thought the other day that she came back with a performance that spoke for itself.”

Joseph isn’t concerned about the added distance of the Susan’s Girl.

“I feel seven furlongs should be no problem. Seven furlongs should be well within her reach,” he said.

Edgard Zayas has the return mount aboard R Morning Brew.

Christian Maingot and trainer Jose Pinchin’s Wiggle an’ Wine and Troy Johnson and Maritza Weston’s Win N Your In, who finished second and third, respectively, in the Desert Vixen, are scheduled to return in the Susan’s Girl. Win N Your In finished three quarters of a length behind Wiggle an’ Wine after finishing 4 ¾ lengths clear of the Pinchin trainee while winning the Sharp Susan Aug. 10.

Win N Your In, who finished third in her debut at 4 ½ furlongs, graduated by 7 ½ lengths in her second start at 5 ½ furlongs before rolling to victory in the Aug. 10 Sharp Susan, a six-furlong open stakes. In the Desert Vixen, the Carlos David-trained daughter of Win Win Win stalked the pace while racing three-wide before faltering late to finish third in the six-furlong Desert Vixen.

Miguel Vasquez has the return mount on Win N Your In, who is rated second at 7-2 on the morning line.

Wiggle an’ Wine, a daughter of Awesome Slew who debuted with a victory over a next-out winner June 1 before her two runner-up finishes in the Sharp Susan and Desert Vixen, will be ridden again by Emisael Jaramillo.

Patricias Hope LLC’s Rogue Diamond invades Gulfstream to run in the Susan’s Girl off a two-length debut win at Hawthorne Aug. 22. The daughter of Rogueish is trained by Larry Rivelli.

Stonehedge LLC’s Don’t Fool With Me, who followed a fifth-place finish with a maiden score Sept. 29; Shadybrook Inc.’s I’malwaysthinking, a debut winner Aug. 30; and Kip the Distance, coming off a third-place finish in the Hallandale Beach, round out the field.

Rated By Merit Worthy Favorite for Saturday’s $200,000 Affirmed

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – St. Elias Stable’s Rated by Merit is rated as the 3-5 morning-line favorite for a highly anticipated start in Saturday’s $200,000 Affirmed, the second leg of the 2024 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series, at Gulfstream Park.

Fresh off his record-breaking performance in the $100,000 Dr. Fager, the first leg of the series for 2-year-olds sired by accredited Florida stallions, Sept. 7, the homebred son of Battalion Runner is unquestionably worthy of heavy favoritism for the seven-furlong stakes that will co-headline Saturday’s 12-race program with the $200,000 Susan’s Girl, the second leg of the Florida Sire Stakes series for juvenile fillies.

Undefeated and untested in two career starts, Rated by Merit is scheduled to meet five other juveniles in the seven-furlong Affirmed. The Michael Yates trainee debuted July 13 with a 9 ¾-length victory that earned a 92 Beyer Speed Figure that was the highest produced by all 2-year-olds in the country until Ferocious earned a 96 for his impressive debut at Saratoga two weeks later. Rated By Merit avoided a ‘bounce’ in his return in the six-furlong Dr. Fager, earning a 93 Beyer Speed Figure for his 6 ¼ length romp.

Despite the buzz surrounding the St. Elias homebred colt, Yates has been able to maintain his usual low-key approach to Rated by Merit’s return in the Affirmed.

“Due to the fact that he’s training well and he’s doing everything right, I don’t see anything at this point that we needed to do differently,” Yates said. “We’re just excited to get him over there and watch him perform.”

Rated by Merit, who ran six furlongs in 1:10.55 in his six-furlong debut, ran the same distance in the Dr. Fager in 1:09.45, surpassing Three Rules’ 2016 Dr. Fager record of 1:09.49 while finishing well clear of runner-up Neoequos.

It’s no mystery to Yates how Rated by Merit has distinguished himself as one of the most promising 2-year-olds in the country thus far.

“He’s a very well-balanced horse. Conformation-wise, he’s very correct. He’s very athletic,” he said. “Mentally, he’s very uncomplicated. He’s not a very complicated horse. He’s easy to handle. He minds his manners. You don’t know he’s in the barn.”

Jesus Rios, who has been aboard Rated by Merit’s two eye-catching victories, has the return mount Saturday.

Ian Parsard, Shining Stables LLC and Stefania Farms LLC’s Neoequos was hustled to an early lead over Rated by Merit on the backstretch in the Dr. Fager, but the Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained son of Neolithic was no match for the 2-5 favorite the rest of the way. Neoequos held off Classic of Course by 1 ½ lengths to finish second.

“He ran well last time and took a lot of pressure. The winner, Rated by Merit, is a superior horse right now. We’re going to have to hope that he regresses a little bit,” Joseph said. “It’s a tall task. We’re kind of running hoping to run second. We’re running for second but hoping to win.”

Neoequos’ career got off to a bumpy start July 21 when he was bumped hard leaving the starting gate, unseating the rider. He bounced back Aug. 10 with a rallying 2 ½-length victory under Miguel Vasquez to break his maiden prior to making his stakes debut in the Dr. Fager.

“In his first start, he wheeled at the start, which is very uncharacteristic. He’s a very smart horse, nice horse. Barring that, he’s been nothing but professional,” Joseph said. “He came back and won well and beat a nice horse (Macho Music) that came back to win a Keeneland. He’s a solid horse. Is he as good as Rated by Merit right now? No.”

Drayden Van Dyke, who was unseated in Neoequos’ debut, has the call aboard the Joseph trainee.

Amy Dunne and trainer Patrick Biancone’s Classic of Course is the most experienced horse in the field, having run in five racing, including four consecutive stakes appearances following a 6 ½-length debut victory May 4. The son of Awesome of Course finished fourth in the Tremont at Aqueduct before returning to Gulfstream to finish second in the Proud Man, third in the Dr. Fager and fourth in the Aventura, in which he was squeezed at the start.

Joe Bravo is scheduled to ride Classic of Course for the first time in the Affirmed.

Arindel’s Lou and Alex and JoAnn Lieblong’s Big Paradise, both recent graduates, and John Minchello’s Zizka, seventh in the Dr. Fager, round out the field.

About The Stronach Group and 1/ST

The Stronach Group is a world-class technology, entertainment and real estate development company with Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering at the core. The Stronach Group’s 1/ST business (pronounced “First”) is North America’s preeminent Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering company and includes the 1/ST RACING & GAMING, 1/ST CONTENT, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY and 1/ST EXPERIENCE businesses, while advocating for and driving the 1/ST HORSE CARE mission. 1/ST represents The Stronach Group’s continued movement toward redefining Thoroughbred racing and the ecosystem that drives it. 1/ST RACING & GAMING drives the best-in-class racing operations and gaming offerings at the company’s premier racetracks and training centers including: Santa Anita Park, Golden Gate Fields and San Luis Rey Downs (California); Gulfstream Park – home of the Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series, Gulfstream Park West and Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center (Florida); the Maryland Jockey Club at Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course – home of the legendary Preakness Stakes, Rosecroft Raceway and Bowie Training Center (Maryland). 1/ST CONTENT is the operating group for 1/ST’s media and content companies including: Monarch Content Management, Elite, TSG Global Wagering Solutions (GWS) and XBTV. 1/ST TECHNOLOGY is racing’s largest racing and gaming technology company offering world-class products via its AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX and Betmix brands. 1/ST EXPERIENCE blends the worlds of sports, entertainment and hospitality through innovative content development, elevated national and local venue management and hospitality, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and procurement development. As the advocate for critical industry reforms and by making meaningful investments into aftercare programs for retired horses and jockeys, 1/ST HORSE CARE represents The Stronach Group’s commitment to achieving the highest level of horse and rider care and safety standards in Thoroughbred racing on and off the track. The Stronach Group’s TSG Properties is responsible for the development of the company’s live, play and work communities surrounding its racing venues including: The Village at Gulfstream Park (Florida) and Paddock Pointe (Maryland). For more information, please email david.joseph@gulfstreampark.com, visit www.1st.com or follow @1ST_racing on Twitter or @1stracing on Instagram and Facebook.