Florida homebred Rated by Merit boosts his record to a perfect 5-for-5 in the Discovery (Susie Raisher)
Keith McCalmont/NYRA Press Office
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – St. Elias Stable’s Florida homebred Rated by Merit made a successful return from a more than 10-month layoff to capture Saturday’s $125,000 Discovery, at Belmont at the Big A.
Making his first start for five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown and piloted by Manny Franco, the Battalion Runner colt made every pole a winning one to maintain a perfect 5-for-5 record with a decisive score in the one-turn mile restricted to 3-year-olds yet to have won a graded race at one-mile or over this year.
Franco, leading rider at the current meet, was full of praise for Rated by Merit on his winning return.
“He’s really fast and he’s got natural speed. I just was trying to sit chilly on him,” Franco said. “I got the pressure outside, but he don’t really bother me because I was focused on my horse, it was me and him. I get him to relax. He was going fast, but the right way. He was pretty comfortable and then in the stretch, I’ve got horse under me, so I’m happy.”
Dreambuilder made the early lead before Franco urged Rated by Merit to the front to set a pressured opening quarter-mile in in 22.96 seconds and the half-mile in 45.63 over the fast main track.
The Brown-trained and Ricardo Santana, Jr.-piloted Wise Up saved ground in third position and loomed the main danger to his stablemate, who easily put away Dreambuilder and held a 2 1/2-length advantage at the stretch call. But there would be no reeling in Rated by Merit, who was kept to task to the wire while drifting out a touch late en route to a 1 1/4-length win in a final time of 1:33.45.
Still undefeated! RATED BY MERIT stays perfect as he wins his fifth race in a row in the Discovery Stakes under @jockeyfranco for trainer Chad Brown. pic.twitter.com/7K65haw4WS
— NYRA () (@TheNYRA) October 4, 2025
Wise Up completed the exacta by 13 3/4-lengths over Light Forever with Uncaged and Dreambuilder rounding out the order of finish.
Franco said he wasn’t concerned about the rallying Wise Up.
“I knew that he was coming on the outside, so I wanted him [Rated by Merit] to know that somebody was coming, and he drift out a tad maybe, but I was pretty clear,” Franco said.
Santana, Jr. tipped his cap to the winner.
“Second best. Just second best. The other one broke on the lead and kept going, so we were second best,” Santana, Jr. said.
Rated by Merit, who reportedly required time off for bone bruising, entered from four wins in as many starts last year at Gulfstream Park, all in the care of trainer Michael Yates. His victories included restricted stakes scores for registered Florida-sired horses in the six-furlong Dr. Fager, the seven-furlong Affirmed and the 1 1/16-mile In Reality last out on November 30. He bested well-regarded Neoequos in both the Dr. Fager and Affirmed.
Rated by Merit is out of the winning Speightstown mare Banner Waving. His second dam, Freedom Flag, is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Revolutionary. His third dam is Grade 1-winner Runup the Colors.
Rated by Merit banked $68,750 in victory and returned $2.58 for a $2 win bet as the 1-5 mutuel favorite.
Live racing resumes Sunday at Belmont at the Big A with a nine-race card featuring the Grade 3, $175,000 Waya in Race 6. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
