Exotics Plays for the 2023 Fort Lauderdale Stakes

An intriguing field of 10 will go 1 1/8 miles on the Gulfstream Park lawn in Saturday’s $200,000 Fort Lauderdale S. (G2). Shug McGaughey’s #6 Fort Washington might not have the ideal running style for the local turf, but the consistently good late runner has fine current form and gets the nod to run them down inside the final furlong on this occasion. 

Fort Lauderdale Exotics

• $15 exacta 6 with 2,3 ($30)
• $.50-cent trifecta 2,3,6 with 2,3,6,7,9 with 2,3,6,7,9 ($18)
• $.50-cent superfecta key 6 with 2,3,7,9 ($12)

By War Front, the well-bred colt went close in a pair of stakes tilts on this lawn last season when third on both occasions, and the four-year-old comes off of a game allowance triumph at Aqueduct in his latest venture. Fort Washington has only competed at the nine-furlong distance on one prior occasion, but he seems like a natural fit at the trip, and I also like how he was a bit more engaged in the early going in his most recent performance. Luis Saez will be in the controls. 

#2 Grand Sonata, one of two in the cast for trainer Todd Pletcher, is two-for-two at Gulfstream Park and can be very good on his best day. The son of Medaglia d’Oro defeated the red-hot Easter three back in an allowance heat at Saratoga in August, and his fourth in the River City (G3) at Churchill Downs last time out was a solid effort, as well. The Whisper Hill homebred has tactical speed and could sit a really good trip while saving ground to the top of the lane under Tyler Gaffalione. 

Pletcher’s #3 Jerry the Nipper is especially consistent and rates an obvious chance to hit the board with something resembling his best showing. The six-year-old was just two lengths shy at the wire in the Artie Schiller S. while facing a deep cast at Aqueduct last time out, and the versatile New York-bred will get first run on the deeper closing types at the top of the lane with Jose Ortiz in the controls. 

The Chad Brown duo of #7 Stone Age, who was runner-up in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), and smart allowance victor #9 Running Bee, will also be included in the vertical gimmicks.