Discovering room in midstretch, Main Dude accelerated to catch stretch chief Win for the Cash and outlasted a late-closing Fort Washington to prevail by a neck within the $200,000 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes (G2T) Dec. 21 at Gulfstream Park.
The victory, his third in 5 begins in 2024 for proprietor Spendthrift Farm and Corridor of Fame coach Todd Pletcher, marked his first rating on the stakes stage this yr, pushing him previous $1 million in earnings. Final yr, he twice gained stakes, taking the Penn Mile Stakes (G2T) at Penn Nationwide Race Course and Kitten’s Pleasure Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream. Earlier than that as a juvenile, he gained the Pilgrim Stakes (G2T) at Aqueduct Racetrack.Main Dude, b, 4/c
Bolt d’Oro — Mary Rita, by Distorted Humor
Proprietor: Spendthrift Farm, LLC (Eric P. Gustavson)
Breeder: Clearsky Farms (KY)
Coach: Todd A. Pletcher
Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Info offered by Equibase at time of entry.
Pedigree Notes
Bolt d’Oro stands at Spendthrift Farm for $30,000 (2025).
Sale Historical past
FTSAUG2021 • $550,000 • Consignor: Taylor Made Gross sales Company • Purchaser: Spendthrift Farm.
Just like the one on Saturday, these stakes victories got here with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard.
Ortiz appeared instrumental in Saturday’s victory within the 1 1/8-mile turf race, easing Main Dude off the early tempo and having his mount draft behind horses in fourth as Saratoga Flash set simple early fractions of :24.13, :47.98, and 1:10.99. Halfway on the flip, Main Dude started to choose off rivals beneath a maintain from Ortiz, who stored him within the two path. However site visitors in entrance of him offered no opening till Win for the Cash took over from Saratoga Flash and a weakening, pace-chasing Emmanuel . That small hole was all he wanted.
Inspired by Ortiz, he accelerated and narrowly prevailed in a driving end. Only a half-length separated the primary three finishers, with Fort Washington checking in second and pace-pressing Win for the Cash third.Join BloodHorse Every day
The winner, a 4-year-old son of Bolt d’Oro , raced 1 1/8 miles on agency turf in 1:45.73. His last eighth of a mile was timed in a swift :11.32. He paid $6.40 to win.
“Properly, we have been hoping for slightly extra tempo. It made it slightly harder as we speak to get him coated up,” Pletcher mentioned. “However as soon as Irad lastly acquired him coated up, he was sitting in a great place. And he is acquired a giant flip of foot and a giant kick. We simply wanted issues to open up, which fortuitously they did on the proper time.”
Ortiz notched his second stakes win within the Ft. Lauderdale Stakes after his preliminary success with Instilled Regard in 2019.
Pletcher mentioned he ran Main Dude within the Ft. Lauderdale with hopes of the colt returning in the Jan. 25 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T), a $1 million race at Gulfstream.
“I feel he ran effectively sufficient to present {that a} attempt,” mentioned Pletcher, a four-time Ft. Lauderdale winner.
Photograph: Coglianese PhotosMajor Dude maintains his benefit over the onrushing Fort Washington (outdoors) to win the Fort Lauderdale Stakes
No Ft. Lauderdale Stakes winners have repeated within the Pegasus World Cup Turf, although some have been aggressive, such because the Pletcher-trained Largent , who ran second in 2021, and the Chad Brown-trained Instilled Regard, third within the 2020 Pegasus.
Bred in Kentucky by Clearsky Farms, Main Dude is out of the stakes-placed Distorted Humor mare Mary Rita . He was a $550,000 buy from Fasig-Tipton’s The Saratoga Sale in 2021 from the Taylor Made Gross sales Company consignment.
The sixth-leading third-crop stallion of 2024 and likewise the sire of graded stakes winner Ruby Nell this yr, Bolt d’Oro stands subsequent yr at Spendthrift Farm for $30,000.
Video: Ft. Lauderdale S. (G2T)
