Cugino made his way around horses at the top of the stretch to win a heart-stopping renewal of the Tropical Park Derby on Dec. 14 at Gulfstream Park.

The 3-year-old Eddie Woods Training Program grad now has two stakes wins to his credit, including the $275,000 Audubon S. at Ellis Park on June 1, along with a pair of graded stakes placings.

Cugino was well off the early pace in Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile turf affair as Fidelightcayut led the way through swift fractions of :22.51 and :46.73. Cugino was still bottled up around the final bend, but found an opening to the outside as he turned for home. He passed horses swiftly and outran the closers to the wire, winning by a neck in a three-way photo in 1:39.32 on the firm turf.

"[Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.] got him in position on the first turn,” said trainer Shug McGaughey. “I liked the way he was able to wait, and when the hole opened, he [Cugino] really kicked."

Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and Jimmy Kahig LLC, Cugino is 3-4-0 in nine starts and has earned $508,810.