HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Major Dude earned himself an invitation to and likely a starting berth in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf on Jan. 25 with a neck victory over the late-charging Fort Washington in Saturday’s $215,000 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes at Gulfstream Park. It was a similar margin back to the very tepid 2-1 favorite Win for the Money, who finished third.   The victory was the second in a Grade 2 event for Major Dude, a 4-year-old son of Bolt d’Oro, who won the Grade 2 Penn Mile as a 3-year-old during spring 2023. Trained by Todd Pletcher for Spendthrift Farm, Major Dude got a late start to his 2024 campaign, but closed out the season on a high note, winning three of his last four outings culminating with his big performance in the 1 1/8-mile Fort Lauderdale. Reunited on Saturday with jockey Irad Ortiz, who had ridden him to victory in the Penn Mile 18 months earlier, Major Dude rated in mid-pack during the early stages of the Ft. Lauderdale.  Ortiz bided his time, patiently awaiting an opening as the field swung into the stretch. Major Dude ultimately surged between horses when given his cue near midstretch to overtake Win for the Money before holding safe a final effort by Fort Washington. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. Major Dude paid $6.40 as the slight second choice after negotiating the distance in 1:45.23 seconds over a firm course. “He’s always been a cool horse, a professional,” Pletcher said. “I think he likes to run with a little cover, he has a pretty good turn of foot, and this could have been his best effort yet the way he shot through there. I was a little worried early on because it took a little while to get him covered up, there wasn’t a whole lot of pace, and he finished exceptionally fast.” Pletcher confirmed that Major Dude would likely return in five weeks as the stable’s lone representative in the 2025 Pegasus Turf. Be Your Best made it back-to-back graded stakes wins with a 1 1/4-length decision over Papilio, adding Saturday’s Grade 3 Suwannee River to her very narrow victory six weeks earlier at Aqueduct in the Grade 3 Long Island Stakes. Ridden for the first time by Edgard Zayas, Be Your Best hesitated at bit at the start, recovered to prompt the early pace of 60-1 outsider Swoonatra, inherited the lead approaching the stretch, edged well clear, then held sway under steady urging. Papilio saved ground, checked briefly but sharply near the quarter pole, then finished best of all along the inside. Ocean Club checked in another head farther back in third. Be Your Best is trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. for owner Michael Ryan. Final time for the mile over the firm going was 1:33.42. She paid $12.00. “This is a good filly. We wanted to cut her back. We weren’t sure about the mile because it might be a tad on the short side, but she proved herself. If she bounces out of it well, she’ll go to the Pegasus,” said Joseph, referring to the $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf on Jan. 25.  Coppola posted his third consecutive victory over the local turf course and fourth win of the year when leading throughout before holding safe the 9-5 Arzak to win the $140,000 Janus Stakes. Reef Runner finished third. Coppola, a 5-year-old son of Into Mischief, won the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint and Silks Run Stakes within a one-month span during the 2023-24 Championship meet. Trained by Dale Romans, Coppola caught a flyer from his outside post to quickly sprint away from the other speed types in the lineup, settled into the stretch with a comfortable advantage, then easily withstood a final surge from the favorite. Coppola, owned in partnership by Hammer Time Stable and Sport of Kings Stable, completed the distance in 54.60 over the firm course and paid $9.80. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.