Uncaged looks to return to winning ways in $125K Discovery

WinStar Farm and Repole Stable’s Uncaged cuts back in distance in Saturday’s $125,000 Discovery, a one-turn mile for sophomores yet to win a graded stakes at one-mile or over in 2025, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the Curlin bay returns to the course and distance of his most recent win, overcoming a bobbled start under returning rider Kendrick Carmouche and rallying from last-of-6 to capture an optional-claimer on April 6 over muddy and sealed footing.

"He's a pretty straightforward horse. One thing to our advantage that day is we got a pretty decent pace set up and Kendrick was able to get the horse out into the clear,” said Pletcher assistant Stu Hampson. “Hopefully, with the right pace scenario, we'll get an honestly run race and do our best running late when it matters the most.”

Uncaged [post 2, Kendrick Carmouche] followed with a pair of off-the-board efforts in graded company, finishing sixth in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Peter Pan in May here and seventh in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets last out on June 7 at Saratoga Race Course.

Uncaged has trained forwardly at Saratoga since with works over both the Oklahoma training track and main track, including a half-mile effort over the latter in 49.05 August 27 in company with Locked [48.83], who won the Grade 2 Woodward here on Saturday.

"By all accounts, he's training well up there. Locked came up here and ran a bang-up race, so we'll hope for a similar performance from him,” Hampson said.

Uncaged, out of 2016 Grade 3 Delaware Oaks-winner Dark Nile, was purchased for $450,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown sends out a formidable pair in undefeated Rated by Merit [post 3, Manny Franco] and two-time winner Wise Up [post 1, Ricardo Santana, Jr.]

St. Elias Stable’s Florida-homebred Rated by Merit, by Battalion Runner, boasts four wins from as many starts at Gulfstream Park, all in the care of trainer Michael Yates.

Rated by Merit’s wins included restricted stakes scores for registered Florida state-sired horses in the six furlong Dr. Fager in September, the seven-furlong Affirmed in October and the 1 1/16-mile In Reality last out on November 30.

Neoequos, the runner-up in both the Dr. Fager and Affirmed, went on to finish third in both the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream before landing 13th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.

Rated by Merit earned a field-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure for his Affirmed score and will face non-restricted company for the first time since his 9 3/4-length debut score last July over eventual multiple stakes-placed Forged Steel.

Rated by Merit, who reportedly required time off for bone bruising, has worked steadily over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga for his return.

Wise Racing’s Wise Up, by Lookin At Lucky, graduated at second asking in an off-the-turf route in May at Monmouth Park and two starts later romped on the front-end versus elders at Saratoga in a 1 3/16-mile optional-claimer on August 17.

The $120,000 purchase at the OBS June 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale, a half-brother to graded stakes-placed Nimitz Class and multiple stakes-winner Kaylasaurus, is out of the stakes-winning Flatter mare Five Diamonds.

Rounding out the field are a pair of Parx shippers for trainer Guadalupe Preciado in Dreambuilder [post 4, Luis Saez] and Light Forever [post 5, Andy Hernandez].

The Discovery is slated as Race 2 on Saturday’s loaded 12-race card that features a pair of Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” qualifiers for 2-year-olds with the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne [Juvenile], a one-turn mile in Race 7 and the Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo [Juvenile Fillies Turf] at 1 1/16-miles for fillies in Race 8. The stacked program is supported by the Grade 1 Frizette, part of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen series in Race 6 and the Grade 2, $500,000 Jockey Club Derby Invitational in Race 4. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont at the Big A, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.