HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Rated by Merit kept his record perfect while becoming the 11th horse to sweep all three legs of the open division of the Florida Sire Series after drawing away to a convincing six-length victory over a game but over-matched Classic of Course in Saturday’s $300,000 In Reality Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Rated by Merit was ridden by Jesus Rios, who swept both Florida Sire Series finales, having guided the 35-1 My Denysse to a shocking upset of the prohibitive favorite Stunner earlier in the day in the $300,000 My Dear Girl Stakes. Rated by Merit, a son of Battalion Runner owned by Vinnie and Teresa Viola’s St. Elias Stable, came into the In Reality having won his three previous starts by a combined 19 3/4 lengths, including the opening two legs of the series, the six-furlong Dr. Fager and seven-furlong Affirmed. Trained by Michael Yates, Rated by Merit earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure for his performance in the Affirmed, the highest of any 2-year-old in North America in 2024. Rated by Merit broke alertly and went right to the front from his inside post, setting a reasonable pace over the fast but dull-ish track. Rated by Merit posted early splits of 24.13 seconds for the opening quarter and 48.92 to the half while well held by Rios from the outset. Rated by Merit remained in reserve while challenged by Classic of Course midway on the second turn, readily repulsing the bid when roused at the top of the stretch, increasing his advantage steadily while kept under pressure to the end. :: Play Gulfstream Park with confidence! DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports available now.  Classic of Course, a distant third in the Affirmed, was easily second best, finishing another nine lengths in front of Just Relax, who out-lasted Latch the Hatch by a nose to be third.  Rated by Merit, who paid $2.40, completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.71, his final time nearly four seconds faster than My Denysse covered the same distance to win the My Dear Girl. “I was a little anxious early, when that other horse started to press him, but he [Rios] looked like he had plenty of horse,” Yates said. “I knew when they turned down the backside and he sat still, that he was doing it pretty easy at that point.” Rated by Merit’s victory in the In Reality gave Yates his first victory ever in a Florida Sire Series finale. “It’s really special for Mr. and Mrs. Viola and the whole group. It’s a Florida-bred [stakes]. They invested in the Florida-bred program and they’re reaping the rewards,” Yates added. “I’m very thankful they stayed the course and kept a Florida-bred in Florida. I’m relieved because it’s hard to do [sweep the series]. There’s only been a handful of horses to do it, so I feel quite honored to have had a horse to do it with.” Yates said Rated by Merit will get a freshening, after which he and the owners will sit down and map out a plan for moving forward for the winter. :: Get Gulfstream Park Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day.  My Denysse upsets My Dear Girl My Denysse came into the $300,000 My Dear Girl still a maiden after four lifetime starts. She came out a stakes winner, running down the 3-10 Stunner by a neck to register a shocking upset in the final leg of the filly division of the Florida Sire Series. Although winless after her first four tries, My Denysse showed more distance would be to her liking after finishing second, beaten a neck, following a race-long pace duel when stretching out to a mile against open company in her previous start. But even her trainer, Ruben Sierra, was realistic about his filly’s chances in the My Dear Girl after entries were drawn and he saw Stunner was shipping down from New York for the race. “My expectations, I got to be honest, were hoping I ran second because beating Stunner looked like a very difficult task,” Sierra admitted after the race. “But I also was hopeful the extra half furlong was going to help us.” My Denysse broke alertly under Rios then settled in midpack while allowed to save ground behind Stunner, who set the pace and was stalked by R Morning Brew from the outset. My Denysse came off the rail to commence her bid leaving the backstretch, advancing steadily while wide turning for home before ultimately running down the tiring leader in the final strides. Stunner, who came into the race having won her previous two starts by a combined 9 3/4 lengths including the Tempted Stakes at Aqueduct four weeks earlier, quickly assumed command after breaking from the rail. She easily disposed of R Morning Brew before six furlongs but came under pressure from jockey Edgard Zayas shortly thereafter, shortening stride and failing to hold off the winner’s closing surge in the final 70 yards. It was another 7 1/4 lengths farther back to third-place finisher Fede. She was followed to the wire, in order, by the tiring R Morning Brew, Bee a Queen, the disappointing Win N Your In, and Kip the Distance. A homebred by Neolithic owned by Just For Fun Stable, My Denysse covered the distance in a relatively slow 1:49.30 and returned $72.80. She was the second longest priced winner in the history of the My Dear Girl behind only Consider Thesource who captured the 2005 renewal at odds of 52-1. “I have to give all the credit to Rios,” Sierra said. “He’s been on this filly from the beginning. When he rode her in the first race, he said this is the filly I want to ride in the $300,000 Florida Sire Stakes. And what we did was point her for this target. When she ran the mile, we had a little bit of trouble, she actually lost a shoe in this race. We were very excited about our opportunity until I saw Mr. [trainer Brad] Cox enter Stunner in this race.”