HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Major Dude, who is back to defend his title, and the steadily improving Cugino, coming off a game victory in the Grade 2 Red Smith, head a well-matched field of 10 grass specialists hoping to earn an invitation to the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf on Saturday at Gulfstream Park in the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale Stakes. The Fort Lauderdale is scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on turf, and goes as the finale on the 11-race card. Major Dude rallied to a neck decision over Fort Washington in the 2024 Fort Lauderdale but could not quite duplicate the effort five weeks later when finishing a tiring sixth in the Pegasus Turf after moving to within less than a length of the leaders at midstretch. That was the first of seven straight losing efforts for the son of Bolt d’Oro, a streak he finally snapped when rallying to a popular one-length victory in the one-mile Artie Schiller at Aqueduct on Oct. 11. “He’s a horse who always shows up and tries hard,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “Even though he won last time at Aqueduct, we didn’t feel like he handled the turf course there. So knowing that he runs well fresh and ran well in this race last year, we decided to give him a little extra time and point for this.” :: Get Gulfstream Park Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day.  Cugino capped off a very good 3-year-old campaign with a one-length victory in the Tropical Park Derby here a year ago. He has been even better this season, having won three of four starts for trainer Shug McGaughey, with his lone setback a sixth-place finish in the Grade 1 Fourstardave this summer at Saratoga. In two starts since that race, he has captured the Red Bank at Monmouth Park and Red Smith at Aqueduct. “I think I made a mistake when I ran him up at Saratoga, but his last two races have been really good,” McGaughey said. “He went a mile and three-eighths in the Red Smith, which is farther than he really wants to go, and ran down the pacesetter over a speed-favoring course, so I believe it might have been his best race yet. If he runs well again Saturday, he’ll likely come back in the Pegasus.” Those looking for alternatives to the two favorites have plenty of options. The group includes the speedy Wolfie’s Dynaghost, multiple Grade 2-placed Chasing the Crown, and the even longer-priced Divin Propos. Wolfie’s Dynaghost returned from a 14-month layoff to put together a big second half of the season, winning three of five starts, including the Grade 3 River City Stakes in gate-to-wire fashion last month at Churchll Downs. He matched a career-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure in that race, his first outing since joining trainer Brian Lynch’s barn during the fall. Chasing the Crown was sidelined seven months after finished a late-running third, beaten just 1 1/2 lengths, in the 2025 Pegasus Turf before returning to win a rich overnight handicap at Kentucky Downs on Aug. 31. He likely bounced off the effort when never a factor returning as the 2-1 favorite in the River City. Divin Propos, Grade 3-placed earlier this season at Santa Anita, has run the majority of his races around three turns but turned back to a mile and was likely best while finishing a troubled third in an overnight handicap here on Nov. 2. He has trained extremely well for the Fort Lauderdale, having held his own on a couple of occasions in the morning on dirt with no less a workmate than Skippylongstocking. :: Play Gulfstream Park with confidence! DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports are available now.  “He got bottled up in traffic last time and probably would have won with a clean trip,” said trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. “He’s training great. I think the extra furlong will help him, and I believe he’s a very live longshot in this race.” The remainder of the lineup consists of the graded stakes-placed duo of Siege of Boston and Beach Gold; Steal Sunshine, Naptown, and Quatrocento. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.