The $200,000, Grade 3 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes Saturday at Gulfstream Park has attracted a aggressive discipline of 10 older horses. Whereas the race is open to 3-year-olds and upward, each entrant is no less than 4 years previous, together with a seasoned 7-year-old gelding. Expertise is a defining theme of this yr’s renewal, as the sector has greater than $7.2 million in mixed lifetime earnings. Defending winner Main Dude returns for a repeat bid after capturing this race final yr as a 4-year-old.
Right here’s a take a look at the sector from the rail out. Steal Sunshine, a 6-year-old son of Structure, received his lead-in begin at Gulfstream Park in mid-November on grime and might be switching again to the turf. He has made 25 of his 33 profession begins at Gulfstream, together with each grime and turf. The seasoned veteran of the group, Wolfie’s Dynaghost, posted a career-best 114 Equibase Pace Determine final day out on the age of seven for his 2 ¾ size victory within the Grade 3 River Metropolis Stakes at Churchill Downs and might be making his second profession begin for the Brian Lynch secure following a coach swap. Again in January, Chasing the Crown completed third by simply 1 ¾ lengths within the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes at Gulfstream and might be making simply his fourth begin of the yr for coach Mike Maker. Siege of Boston is contemporary off a 1 ¾ size victory on the allowance non-compulsory claiming stage final day out at Laurel Park. In August of this yr, Seaside Gold set a observe document at Ellis Park, going a mile on the turf in 1:31.76 when profitable the KY Downs Preview Mint Hundreds of thousands Turf Mile Stakes and incomes a career-best 116 Equibase determine. Cugino drew submit 6 for coach Shug McGaughey and has two consecutive stakes wins going into the Ft. Lauderdale. Naptown might be making his profession debut at Gulfstream Park; nevertheless, the gelding is cross-entered in a Dec. 21 stakes race at Turfway Park. Defending Ft. Lauderdale winner Main Dude drew submit place 8 for the Corridor of Fame duo of Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez. Quatrocento can also be cross entered Dec. 21 at Turfway Park. If he runs, the Battle Entrance colt might be making his third consecutive graded stakes begin within the Ft. Lauderdale. Divin Propos drew the far outdoors and might be making his third begin for the Saffie Joseph Jr. secure following a coach swap.
Evaluation and Major Contenders:
Cugino has been remarkably constant all through his profession, recording six wins and 4 seconds from 13 begins, all of which have are available in turf routes. His solely three finishes outdoors the exacta have been in powerful graded stakes firm. A son of Twirling Sweet, Cugino can also be confirmed over the Gulfstream Park turf, the place he has a win and two runner-up finishes. Final December, Cugino received the Tropical Park Derby by a neck going 1 1/16 miles on Gulfstream’s turf course earlier than taking a six-month layoff to start his 4-year-old marketing campaign. He returned in June with a win in an allowance non-compulsory claiming race in his first begin off the break. In August, he completed sixth within the Grade 1 FanDuel Fourstardave Stakes at Saratoga earlier than delivering a profession greatest efficiency within the Purple Financial institution Stakes at Monmouth Park the place he posted a one-length victory and earned 109 Equibase Pace Determine. He adopted that effort by battling gamely down the stretch to win the Grade 2 Purple Smith Stakes by a nostril at Belmont on the Huge A in his most up-to-date begin. Cugino returns to Gulfstream Park for the primary time since his Tropical Park Derby victory just a little over a yr in the past and shortens up in distance from the 1 3/8-mile Purple Smith to his most popular 1 1/8 miles. At this 1 1/8-mile distance, he has completed within the exacta in each begins, together with a 4 ¼-length victory within the Audubon Stakes at Churchill Downs in June of 2024. Jockey Flavien Prat has two wins from 4 begins aboard Cugino. Over the previous three years, the Shug McGaughey-Flavien Prat partnership has been particularly efficient in turf routes, profitable at a 36% clip along with 10 wins from 28 begins and a 65% return on funding. Corridor of Fame coach McGaughey has additionally excelled with horses who received final day out, profitable at 31% and 59% within the cash over the previous yr throughout all tracks. Given his latest type, confirmed capability on the distance and over the Gulfstream turf, and the power of his connections, Cugino seems properly positioned to win the Ft. Lauderdale Stakes.
Wolfie’s Dynaghost, probably the most skilled runner within the discipline, has proven no indicators of slowing down with age. Final day out, he received gate-to-wire within the Grade 3 River Metropolis Stakes, setting quick early fractions and overlaying 1 1/8 miles on the Churchill Downs turf in 1:45.58, simply 0.07 seconds shy of the observe document set by She Feels Fairly. He earned a profession greatest 114 Equibase Pace determine within the River Metropolis and enters this race off back-to-back wins by a mixed profitable margin of 6 ½ lengths. That 114 is the best last-out determine on this discipline, and over the previous yr horses with the highest last-out Equibase determine in graded turf stakes have received at a stable 26% from 242 begins. The Ghostzapper gelding additionally has expertise at Gulfstream Park, the place he’s 2-for-2 on its all-weather observe and the place he completed second in his lone turf look. In 2025, Wolfie’s Dynaghost has made two begins at this 1 1/8-mile distance, and each resulted in each gate-to-wire stakes victories by a mixed profitable margin of seven ¼ lengths. This might be Wolfie’s Dynaghost’s second begin for coach Brian Lynch, who has been excellent over the previous month, profitable at 44% from 32 begins. Lynch has additionally excelled over the previous yr with horses coming off a win, posting 16 victories from 43 begins (37%) and 58% in-the-money with an 85% return on funding. Irad Ortiz Jr., who set the single-season North American earnings document for jockeys this yr, picks up the mount for the primary time for the reason that gelding posted a three-length victory within the Bert Allen Stakes at Colonial Downs in September 2022. Ortiz Jr. and Wolfie’s Dynaghost have three prior begins with two wins collectively. Wolfie’s Dynaghost may win Saturday, although the important thing query is whether or not he can reproduce his dominant efficiency from final day out.
Ft. Lauderdale Stakes defending winner Main Dude checks loads of containers, rating first in common velocity with a 107 Equibase Pace Determine and second in common class with a 113 on this discipline. The 5-year-old son of Bolt d’Oro has 4 graded stakes wins on his résumé and has earned a triple-digit Equibase determine in 12 of his 26 profession begins. After profitable the Ft. Lauderdale final December, Main Dude went 0-for-7 till his most up-to-date begin, the place he took the Artie Schiller Stakes at Belmont on the Huge A in mid-October going a mile on the turf. Regardless of his 1-for-8 document this yr, he has produced stable efforts in each begin, ending in-the-money 5 instances and by no means dropping by greater than 4 ½ lengths, all in stakes or graded stakes races. He stretches out to his most popular 1 1/8-mile distance right here the place he has two wins and a second from 4 begins. John Velazquez, who’s 4-for-9 at Gulfstream during the last 30 days, might be aboard Main Dude for the fourth consecutive time. Pletcher and Velazquez win at 27% collectively in all races at Gulfstream Park during the last yr as properly. Main Dude labored a bullet 4 furlongs in :48.13 in his most up-to-date breeze and appears to be in robust type as he makes an attempt to repeat his 2024 Ft. Lauderdale victory.
The remainder of the sector, with their greatest Equibase Pace Figures in related races is, Steal Sunshine (110), Chasing the Crown (118), Siege of Boston (113), Seaside Gold (116), Naptown (103), Quatrocento (115), and Divin Propos (112).
Win Contenders in Desire Order:
Cugino
Wolfie’s Dynaghost
Main Dude
