HALLANDALE BEACH - Having split the first two legs of the Sire Stakes Series for 2-year-old fillies, Win N Your In and R Morning Brew will face a new challenger in stakes-winning shipper Stunner for their rubber match in Saturday’s $300,000 My Dear Girl at Gulfstream Park.

    The 1 1/16-mile My Dear Girl for juvenile fillies by accredited Florida stallions co-headlines an 11-race program with the $300,000 In Reality for 2-year-olds on opening weekend of the 2024-2025 Championship Meet. First race post time is 12:20 p.m.

    Troy Johnson and Maritza Weston’s Win N Your In, winner of the open Sharp Susan sprinting six furlongs on Aug. 10, avenged her third-place finish in the opening leg of the FSS series, the Sept. 7 Desert Vixen, with an authoritative 4 ½-length triumph in the seven-furlong Susan’s Girl on Oct. 19.

    While she won the Sharp Susan all the way on the lead, Win N Your In came from off the pace in the Susan’s Girl under regular rider Miguel Vasquez, who gets the return call from Post 6 at co-topweight of 122 pounds. They are rated second choice on the morning line at 3-1.

    “She’s rateable. She can go to the lead or she can stay back. I’m going to leave it up to Miguel,” trainer Carlos David said. “He came and breezed her [Sunday] morning and he thinks she feels awesome. We’re going to go into the race with confidence and hopefully we come through.”

    Win N Your In figures to lay off the speed of fellow stakes-winners R Morning Brew and Stunner, who takes a two-race win streak into the My Dear Girl for trainer Brad Cox. It will be the first time around two turns for all three horses.

    “I think she’s going to stretch out pretty good,” David said. “Obviously, we have Brad Cox’s filly coming from out of town with huge numbers. But it’s like when we go to Churchill, we go out west. Horses, sometimes they don’t handle the traveling well and maybe they don’t like the track as much.

    “My filly has won here three times, two stakes, and she’s going to love the two turns, I think. She’ll be OK,” he added. “She’s doing really, really good. Hopefully we’ll finish her 2-year-old campaign on top and I’ll be excited to see what she’s got as a 3-year-old.”

    LNJ Foxwoods and Church Street Stable’s Stunner is the 3-5 program favorite, and the Girvin filly drew the rail and will have Edgard Zayas in the irons. After finishing second in a six-furlong maiden special on Aug. 23 at Saratoga in her debut, she graduated in a similar spot going 6 ½ furlongs Sept. 26 at Aqueduct, where she cruised by 3 ½ lengths in the one-mile Tempted Nov. 2. Both wins came in front-running fashion.

    Stunner will have company on the front end in Averill Racing’s R Morning Brew, winner of each of her first two career starts in impressive, wire-to-wire style – romping by 5 ½ lengths in the Desert Vixen – before finishing third as the favorite in the Susan’s Girl after encountering some early trouble.

    “Her first race was a bit of a surprise and her second race was awesome,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “The last time she didn’t fire for whatever reason, whether it be because she needs to get the lead or not. But we’re going to take care of that and try to put her on the lead and eliminate that excuse.”

    Joseph is coming off his 11th consecutive title at Gulfstream during the recently concluded Sunshine Meet, including the past three Championship Meet crowns. Sunshine Meet leading rider Edwin Gonzalez replaces Zayas aboard R Morning Brew, third choice on the morning line at 9-2. They will break from Post 5.

    “She’s not the best breaker, but she got a perfect trip last time for a normal horse, you know? But, she failed to fire. That’s why if we’re going to lose we want to do it this time on the lead and we’re going to get there at all costs,” Joseph said. “Hopefully she breaks well and she gets there and if she gets beat, she gets beat.

  She ran disappointing last time. She’s going to have to come back to her best, and even if she comes back to the best it might not be good enough. Cox’s filly looks pretty tough in there,” he added. “We’re going to be on the lead. If we go far enough, we go far enough; if not, we accept getting beat that way.”  “

    Stephen Screnci homebred Fede is the only other horse in single-digit odds at 8-1. The bay daughter of Adios Charlie ran fourth behind R Morning Brew in her Aug. 9 unveiling, beaten 7 ¼ lengths, before overcoming an early bump to break her maiden by five lengths going seven furlongs on Nov. 10. Leonel Reyes rides from Post 7.

    Completing the field are Susan’s Girl runner-up Kip the Distance, also third in the open one-mile Hallandale Beach Sept. 14, and maidens My Denysse and Bee a Queen.

    HALLANDALE BEACH - St. Elias Stable’s homebred Rated by Merit, undefeated in three starts, will continue his quest to sweep the Florida Sire Stakes series for 2-year-olds by accredited Florida stallions in the $300,000 In Reality on Saturday, Nov. 30 at Gulfstream Park.

    Trained by Michael Yates, Rated by Merit tops a of field of nine in the 1 1/16-mile In Reality, which will be his first attempt at going two turns. The son of Battalion Runner has won his races by 19 ¾ combined lengths, starting with a 9 ¾-length debut triumph on July 13.

    Rated by Merit opened the FSS series taking the six-furlong Dr. Fager by 6 ¼ lengths on Sept. 7, then followed up with a 3 ¾-length score in the seven-furlong Affirmed on Oct. 19. His 99 Beyer Speed Figure from that race is the highest assigned to a 2-year-old this year.

    Eight horses have swept the series for 2-year-olds since it was launched in 1982: Awesome Strong (2022), Three Rules (2016), Fort Loudon (2011), Jackson Bend (2009), Big Drama (2008), Sir Oscar (2003), Express Tour (2000) and Seacliff (1995).

    Rated by Merit drew Post 1 and will have regular rider Jesus Rios aboard. Also entered are Neoequos and Classic of Course, respectively second and third in the Dr. Fager and Affirmed; Affirmed fifth-place finisher Lou; Gulfstream maiden debut winners Emmett and Latch the Hatch; and maidens Oleg, Just Relax and Roar of the Beast.

    The $300,000 My Dear Girl for 2-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles is topped by Averill Racing’s R Morning Brew, who lost for the first time in three starts when third in the seven-furlong Susan’s Girl on Oct. 19. Before that, the daughter of Curlin’s Honor graduated by 4 ½ lengths in her debut on Aug. 9 and cruised by 5 ½ lengths in the six-furlong Desert Vixen on Sept. 7.

    R Morning Brew, trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., will break from Post 5 in a field of seven.

    Leading the rivals are Troy Johnson and Maritza Weston’s Win N Your In (Post 6), winner of the Aug. 10 Sharp Susan that handed R Morning Brew her first loss in the Susan’s Girl after running third in the Desert Vixen; and LNJ Foxwoods and Church Street Stable’s Stunner (Post 1), a front-running winner of two straight for trainer Brad Cox capped by the one-mile Tempted Nov. 2 at Aqueduct.

    Kip the Distance, twice stakes-placed including a second in the Susan’s Girl; Bee a Queen, third in the Sharp Susan; Nov. 10 Gulfstream maiden winner Fede and maiden My Denysse complete the field.

Big Paradise Always in Control in $65,000 Juvenile Sprint

    Alex and JoAnn Lieblong’s Big Paradise was in total control throughout the 6 ½ furlongs of Saturday’s $65,000 Juvenile Sprint while registering a 2 ¼-length victory in the stakes for Florida-bred juveniles. The son of The Big Beast broke alertly under Irad Ortiz Jr. to take an early lead, shook off an inside challenge from Most Handsome, and drew away to a comfortable victory as the 1-2 favorite.

    “He’s another The Big Beast that can run,” trainer David Fawkes said.

    While providing Ortiz with his third winner of the day in the Race 6 feature, Big Paradise set fractions of 22.41 and 45.73 seconds for the first half mile on his way to a final clocking of 1:18.03.

    Big Paradise broke his maiden at first asking Sept. 28, rallying from off the pace to prevail by a half-length. The company proved a little too tough in the $200,000 Affirmed, the seven-furlong second leg of the Florida Sire Stakes series won by undefeated Rated by Merit. The homebred colt was a forward factor early before settling for fourth in the race in which Rated by Merit earned the highest Beyer Speed Figure (99) of all 2-year-olds this year. Noble N Magical finished second, 6 ½ lengths ahead of third-place finisher Nothingsubtle.