Major Dude, a three-time graded stakes winner, ran the two fastest races of his career in allowance company earlier this year. Saturday, he’ll try to transfer that form back into stakes when he heads a competitive field of nine entered in the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale at Gulfstream Park. The Fort Lauderdale, run at 1 1/8 miles over the turf, is the local prep for next month’s Grade 1, $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf at the same distance. Since winning a high-class allowance race going 1 1/16 miles on Oct. 10 at Keeneland, Major Dude was freshened by trainer Todd Pletcher with these two races in mind. :: Play Gulfstream Park with confidence! DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports available now.  “He seems to run well fresh,” said Pletcher, a three-time winner of the Fort Lauderdale. “With the spacing to the Fort Lauderdale and five weeks back to the Pegasus, we thought that was kind of a little freshening there to hopefully set him up for a couple of good performances.” Major Dude won his allowance races with similar trips – covered up on the inside early, then producing a strong closing rush. There does appear to be plenty of pace in this race to perhaps afford for a similar trip under Irad Ortiz Jr. Pletcher also sends out Grand Sonata who won the Grade 2, $2 million Kentucky Turf Cup at Kentucky Downs in September but finished 11th of 13 in the Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 2 at Del Mar. Pletcher is adding blinkers to Grand Sonata’s equipment for the first time in what will be the 5-year-old’s 25th career start. “Sometimes you get a little boost first-time blinkers on an older horse and since we’re shortening him up we figured this was the time to give it a try,” Pletcher said. ”See how he does in here and determine which we way go; if he runs well enough to run back in the Pegasus Turf or if he needs to get back around three turns.” Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. has 19 entrants on Saturday’s Gulfstream card, with three of them in the Fort Lauderdale. Cash Equity, winless in his last 12 starts, is coming off a fourth with a wide trip in the Grade 3 River City Stakes at Churchill Downs. “A mile and an eighth is probably perfect for him,” Joseph said. “Hopefully, he’ll get some pace.” Saratoga Flash ended a seven-race losing streak with a front-running allowance win Oct. 18 at Gulfstream. Lorenz has won his last two, including a minor stakes at Remington Park. Joseph admits this might be an ambitious placing. Trainer Mark Casse entered Win for the Money, who won the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile in September but finished last in the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Nov. 2 at Del Mar. “I was expecting him to run better in the Breeders’ Cup. I felt like he stumbled a little right at the start. He grabbed himself a little bit,” Casse said. “Patrick [Husbands] said never at any point in time did he act like he wanted to run. I realize it was a tough spot, still I felt like he never showed up at all.” Dylan Davis, who will ride at Gulfstream regularly starting New Year’s Day, is in from New York for this mount on Saturday. Emmanuel and Siege of Boston finished one-two in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf at Gulfstream in March. Fort Washington dead-heated with Running Bee for the win in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup in July but is winless in four starts since. Janus Stakes Arzak, beaten 1 1/2 lengths when sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, should get the pace he needs to be most effective when he runs in Saturday’s $140,000 Janus Stakes at five furlongs on turf. Arzak, trained by Michael Trombetta, has won eight races from 30 starts but arguably his best performance came in June when he finished second to Cogburn in the Grade 1 Jaipur at Saratoga. He will be reunited Saturday with Irad Ortiz Jr., who was aboard for the 6-year-old’s last win in the Grade 2 Shakertown, his seasonal debut in April. Xy Speed, Reef Runner, and Yes I Am Free, the top three finishers from a five-furlong turf allowance Nov. 8 at Gulfstream are back in this spot. Xy Speed, trained by Michael Lerman, is 7 for 14 over the Gulfstream turf, and 12 of his 14 career wins have come at five furlongs. Masseto, trained by Casse, is 3 for 3 at five furlongs on turf. Whenigettoheaven, Okiro, That’s Right, Axthelm, Smithwick’s Spice, Coppola, and Foxtrotanna complete the field. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.