Gulfstream: Major Dude Thrilling Winner of $215,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2)

By David Joseph —-

Major Dude; Ryan Thompson Photo

Major Dude Thrilling Winner of $215,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2)

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Spendthrift Farm’s Major Dude rediscovered his graded-stakes winning form under a patient ride from Irad Ortiz Jr., became a millionaire in the process and punched his ticket to the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) with a dramatic neck victory in Saturday’s $215,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2) at Gulfstream Park.

The 68th running of the Fort Lauderdale for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles on the grass was the fourth of five stakes, three graded, worth $825,000 in purses on the Pegasus Preview Day program.

Major Dude ($6.40), a narrow second choice behind Grade 1 winner Win for the Money, covered a firm course in 1:45.73 to give Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher his fourth victory in the Fort Lauderdale following Largent (2020), Mshawish (2015) and Silver Medallion (2012).

Pletcher ran 1-2 in the Pegasus Turf in both 2021 with Colonel Liam and Largent and 2022 with Colonel Liam and Never Surprised. The 1 1/8-mile Pegasus Turf for 4-year-olds and up will be run Jan. 25.

“We’ve been pointing for this [race] to hopefully set him up for the Pegasus Turf. That’s what we were hoping for,” he said. “I think he ran well enough to give that a try.”

Saratoga Flash, one of three in the Fort Lauderdale from Championship Meet leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., broke alertly and was in front after an opening quarter-mile in 24.13 seconds, with Win for the Money tracking on the outside in second. Multimillionaire Grand Sonata, also trained by Pletcher, saved ground on the rail in third followed by ex-stablemate Emmanuel and Major Dude.

The half went in 47.98 with the top two unchanged and Emmanuel moving up to third, leaving the Pletcher pair to race alongside each other into the far turn. Six furlongs went in 1:10.99 and Ortiz found himself blocked behind horses until straightening for home, when he was able to set Major Dude down for a drive to reel in Win for the Money and hold off an onrushing Fort Washington.

“Beautiful trip. He broke sharp and we wanted to have a target with him. We like to cover him. He relaxed real good,” Ortiz said. “Before the quarter pole I probably had a chance to go around but we think he likes it between horses. He’s very game. I went for it and thank God it worked out perfect because otherwise I would be so sad, getting beat with these horses, because he was ready. He deserves a lot of credit. He deserves more credit than me.”

Win for the Money was another neck back in third, one length ahead of Grand Sonata, followed by Siege of Boston, Cash Equity, Emmanuel, Lorenz and Saratoga Flash.

Major Dude, a 4-year-old bay son of Bolt d’Oro, earned $119,040 for the victory to push his career bankroll to $1,075,297 from 18 starts including wins in the 2022 Pilgrim (G2) at Aqueduct and Gulfstream’s Kitten’s Joy (G3) and Penn National’s Penn Mile (G2) in 2023. This year he won a pair of allowances, was second by a neck in another and fifth in the Aug. 11 Fourstardave (G1) at Saratoga. The Fort Lauderdale was his first race since Oct. 10.

“We just felt like the allowance races he was running in were graded stakes-type fields and he seems to be improving. I kind of think we figured out how he likes to be ridden,” Pletcher said. “We were hoping for a little more pace. It made it a little more difficult today to get him covered up but once Irad finally got him covered up, he was sitting in a good spot. He’s got a big turn of foot and a big kick. We just needed things to open up, which fortunately they did at the right time.”

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