Give Me a Hint is Merit Man's First Winner
Image:
Description:
Photo: Eleanor Gustafson / Coglianese Photos
Merit Man wins the Spectacular Bid Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Forget any hinting. Merit Man's first winner Give Me a Hint got right in the faces of nine challengers Aug. 12 at Del Mar in her first start and shouted, "Look at me! I'm a winner!"
The bay filly and only foal out of the winning Beat Hollow daughter Hint of Promise broke cleanly under jockey Kent Desormeaux and then stalked pacesetter Gracie Belle for three-eighths of a mile. Give Me a Hint took control of the 5 1/2-furlong test as she rounded through the turn and once in front kicked on to win by 9 1/4 lengths in 1:06.26.
Give Me a Hint is a homebred racing for Schroeder Farms, Welton Mansfield, and co-breeder/trainer Robert Hess Jr.
Grade 1-placed Merit Man is a multiple black-type winning son of With Distinction, who Hess bought for $75,000 at the 2012 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring 2-year-olds in Training Sale.
The colt won two of three starts at 2 and placed second in the second running of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint. At 3, his debut was a winning one, taking the $100,000 Spectacular Bid Stakes at Gulfstream Park. He would go on to finish third in the Besilu Stables Florida Derby (G1) behind eventual Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Orb . On retirement, Merit Man had won four of nine starts and banked $462,030.
Merit Man stood this year at Lovacres Ranch in California for $3,000.