68th Fort Lauderdale Stakes (G2) is Pegasus World Cup Turf Prep Race

Live Oak Plantation's 5-year-old homebred gelding Win for the Money, three months after becoming a Grade 1 winner in Canada, returns to South Florida seeking to rediscover that form in the $215,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2) at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, December 21.

The 68th running of the Fort Lauderdale Stakes for 3-year-olds and up, scheduled for 1 1/8 miles on the grass, is the fourth of five stakes, three graded, worth $825,000 in purses on an 11-race Pegasus Preview Day program that begins at 12:20 p.m.

Named for the famed coastal city 14 miles north of Gulfstream, the Fort Lauderdale serves as the local prep for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) Jan. 25. Also on Saturday's program are the $165,000 Harlan's Holiday Stakes (G3), a prep for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1), and the $165,000 Suwannee River (G3), a prep for the $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G2).

2024 Fort Lauderdale Stakes Field & Odds

Race 10 at Gulfstream Park

Saturday, December 21 - Post 4:54 PM

Entry	Horse	Jockey	Trainer
1	Cash Equity (FR)	Edgard Zayas 121 Lbs	Saffie Joseph, Jr.
2	Grand Sonata	Tyler Gaffalione 126 Lbs	Todd Pletcher
3	Saratoga Flash	Micah Husbands 121 Lbs	Saffie Joseph, Jr.
4	Major Dude	Irad Ortiz, Jr. 121 Lbs	Todd Pletcher
5	Win for the Money	Dylan Davis 126 Lbs	Mark Casse
6	Lorenz (BRZ)	Drayden Van Dyke 123 Lbs	Saffie Joseph, Jr.
7	Siege of Boston	Jorge Ruiz 121 Lbs	James Toner
8	Fort Washington	John Velazquez 126 Lbs	Claude McGaughey III
9	Emmanuel	Javier Castellano 123 Lbs	Michael Maker

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Win for the Money, trained by U.S. and Canadian Hall of Famer Mark Casse, has raced exclusively on turf this year after running primarily on synthetic surfaces over his first three seasons. The son of 2016 Holy Bull (G2) and Fountain of Youth (G2) winner Mohaymen kicked off his campaign with popular 6 ¾-length triumph in Gulfstream's 1 1/16-mile Mr. Steele May 25.

Win for the Money matched a career-best speed figure with his rallying 1 ½-length upset victory in the Woodbine Mile (G1) Sept. 14 at odds of 13-1, an effort that earned him a shot at the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) Nov. 2 at Del Mar, his most recent start, where he raced wide early and tired late to be last of 10.

"I think you probably just draw a line through it," Casse's assistant trainer, Nick Tomlinson, said. "I think it's hard really for any horse to go out to California because it's a long ship. He's come back and trained really well coming into this, so we're hoping that he bounces back into the form that he had in the Woodbine Mile."

Last fall, Win for the Money placed in a pair of graded-stakes over Woodbine's all-weather surface, and this year he ran fourth by less than five lengths in the Wise Dan (G2) and second as the favorite in the Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Mile. Each of his last three starts have come at the mile distance, but last year he raced as far as 1 ½ miles when third in the Valedictory (G3) and 1 ¼ miles when fifth in the Arlington Million (G1), the latter on grass.

"I don't think [distance] should be a problem for him, honestly," Tomlinson said. "We had him in the Arlington Million which is a mile and a quarter at Colonial. Things didn't really go our way that day, but I don't think distance is an issue. Hopefully things play out well and we can get the job done."

Dylan Davis, making his 2024-2025 Championship Meet debut over the weekend, is named to ride from Post 5 in a field of nine as the narrow 5-2 program favorite.

Three-time Fort Lauderdale winner and Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher entered the pair of Grand Sonata and Major Dude. Whisper Hill Farm homebred Grand Sonata is a 5-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro that has won two graded-stakes and more than $2 million in purse earnings from 24 starts.

Grand Sonata got his first taste of stakes success as a 3-year-old in the winter of 2022, winning Gulfstream's Dania Beach and Kitten's Joy (G3). He has won two of 19 subsequent starts, most recently in the 1 ½-mile Kentucky Downs Turf Cup (G2) Sept. 7 but has placed in four other graded-stakes and been beaten a length or less in two others including last year's Fort Lauderdale.

"He liked Kentucky Downs. We ran him back on short rest in there and I'm glad we did. He ran a big race," Pletcher said. "He's had success going a little longer, as well, but we kind of wanted to back him up and see how he does and put us in position to look at the Pegasus."

In his last race Grand Sonata ran a troubled 11th in the 1 ½-mile Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) Nov. 2 at Del Mar. Off at no less than 12-1 over his last four starts, Tyler Gaffalione gets the return call from Post 2. They are 3-1 on the morning line.

"He just got shuffled back a little bit last time and kind of ran evenly [against] the best turf horses in the world," Pletcher said, "so I think it's going to be interesting shortening him up in distance to see how he does."

Two spots over in Post 4 with Championship Meet leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. is Spendthrift Farm's Major Dude, a 4-year-old Bolt d'Oro colt that is less than $14,000 from reaching millionaire status having run third or better in 11 of 17 starts, six of them wins, three in graded company including Gulfstream's 2023 Kitten's Joy.

Rated at 5-1 on the morning line, Major Dude has won two of his last three races, both in allowance company going two turns - July 20 at Saratoga and Oct. 10 at Keeneland, his most recent trip.

"Super consistent horse. He's run well here before and we're hoping that this race sets him up for the Pegasus Turf," Pletcher said. "His last race was very good. He got a good ground-saving trip and delivered a good kick, similar to what he did at Saratoga. We're very happy with him.

"He's put together a very solid resume and he's a really nice horse," he added. "He's a cool horse to train, just very straightforward and professional."

Siena Farm and WinStar Farm's Emmanuel won five graded-stakes, three at Gulfstream, for Pletcher between 2022 and March 2, when he defended his title in the Canadian Turf (G3). Trainer Mike Maker purchased the 5-year-old son of More Than Ready for $500,000 at Fasig-Tipton's mid-summer flash sale and has raced him three times, the best finish being a fourth in the Turf Classic (G1) Sept. 28 at Aqueduct. Emmanuel (10-1 ML) drew outermost Post 9 with Hall of Famer Javier Castellano.

The other graded-stakes winner in the field is Magic Cap Stables' Fort Washington, who dead-heated for first in the 1 1/8-mile Monmouth (G3) June 15. Third in both the Canadian Turf and Appleton in 2023 at Gulfstream, the 5-year-old by War Front ran sixth in last year's Fort Lauderdale and exits a third in the one-mile Artie Schiller Nov. 2 at Aqueduct.

"He ran real well in the Artie Schiller. He finished good; he just needed a little more ground. This race should set up perfect for him," Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey said. "He's a very nice horse. He's just probably been unlucky a couple of times, but he pretty much runs his race every time we take him over there. [A mile and an eighth] I think will be perfect for him."

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will be aboard Fort Washington (8-1 ML) from Post 8.

Completing the field are a trio from Championship Meet leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. - Sept. 7 Mint Millions (G3) runner-up Cash Equity, March 30 Appleton runner-up Saratoga Flash and Brazilian Group 3 winner Lorenz - and three-time Grade 3-placed Siege of Boston, trained by Jimmy Toner.

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