Saratoga Picks | Curlin Stakes 2024

The Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey-trained Corporate Power and the Hall of Famer Bill Mott-conditioned Timeout will look to make their sire proud in Friday’s Listed $135,000 Curlin, a nine-furlong main track test for sophomores, at Saratoga Race Course.

The event for non-winners of a graded sweepstakes at one mile or over in 2024 honors the 2007-08 Horse of the Year, Curlin, who became the first North American thoroughbred to reach the $10 million earnings mark.

The Curlin is slated as Race 3 on Friday’s 10-race program at Saratoga. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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Courtlandt Farms’ Corporate Power is the lone stakes winner in the compact but talented six-horse field, entering off a last-out score in the 1 1/16-mile Sir Barton on May 18 at Pimlico Race Course. The Curlin bay captured the restricted event for non-winners of an open sweepstakes when a nose better than the well-regarded Gould’s Gold in a final time of 1:44.98 over muddy footing.

McGaughey said contesting the Curlin has been the goal since the Preakness Day triumph. 

“Ever since he won at Pimlico, this is the race I’ve pointed him for,” McGaughey said. “It was a layoff, but I knew this was down the line after he ran. So, I’m not worried about that.”

Before the Sir Barton, Corporate Power made a pair of efforts traveling Friday’s distance, including a second-out graduation in February at Gulfstream Park over eventual Grade 3 Ohio Derby-winner Batten Down, ahead of a runner-up finish in an April optional-claimer at Aqueduct Racetrack that garnered a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure.

McGaughey said the nine-furlong distance at Saratoga is ideal for the talented prospect. 

“He wants to do two turns, one mile and eighth, and farther,” said McGaughey. “He’s done just about everything we’ve asked of him. I think he’s still got some stuff to learn in his races, but he’s doing fine. He’ll be laying up fairly close.”

Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, Corporate Power, out of the graded stakes winning Quality Road mare Road to Victory, was a $925,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. 

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, who has been aboard for all four efforts that make up Corporate Power’s 4-2-1-0 record, retains the mount from post 2 carrying a field-high 124 pounds. 

Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider’s Kentucky homebred Timeout [post 4, Joel Rosario, 118 pounds] looks to defend Hall of Famer Bill Mott’s title in the Curlin after he saddled Scotland to victory at Saratoga last year. 

This Curlin bay, who is out of the multiple graded stakes-winning War Front mare Lull,  elevates in class after a third-out graduation against elders at the distance on June 15 at Belmont at the Big A. The stalking neck score over Military Road in a final time of 1:49.08 earned a career-best 95 Beyer.

“He’s a big, strong horse,” Mott said, who equipped the colt with blinkers for his last outing. “We always felt he was a little bit of a later developing type.” 

Timeout breezed five-eighths in 1:01.60 over the Oklahoma dirt training track Saturday in company with 4-year-old Arthur’s Ride, who earned a 111 Beyer for a 10-furlong optional claiming victory on June 7 at the Spa, and is pointed towards the local Grade 1, $1 million Whitney, on August 3. 

Four-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown will send out a strong challenger in Klaravich Stables’ lightly-raced Unmatched Wisdom [post 1, Flavien Prat, 120 pounds]. The Cairo Prince dark bay is an unbeaten 2-for-2, both wins at Belmont at the Big A, earning a field-best 98 Beyer in a debut romp going one-mile versus elders in May.

Unmatched Wisdom confirmed his strong debut showing with a last-out 5 3/4-length victory in a nine-furlong allowance on June 22, registering a 93 Beyer in the eye-catching effort. 

“He is doing really well and the logical next spot is to step into a stake,” said Brown. “He’s got a lot of natural speed and can carry it. He was an impressive horse in the morning and his first two starts were equally impressive. Certainly, he will meet better horses, so it’ll be a good test and I’m hoping he keeps stepping up as the races get more difficult.” 

Out of the Pure Prize mare Glide On By, Unmatched Wisdom was a $450,000 purchase at the 2023 OBS March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training. 

Reigning Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Kenny McPeek will saddle a pair of last-out winners in Elephants Ear [post 5, Colby Hernandez, 120 pounds] and Django [post 6, Brian Hernandez, Jr., 118 pounds], with the Hernandez brothers set to ride. 

The duo breezed in company Saturday over the Saratoga Oklahoma dirt, firing a bullet five-eighths in 59.80 seconds, fastest-of-20 workers at the distance. 

“I think it was the best work they’ve ever put in,” McPeek said. 

Elephants Ear, a Vino Rosso chestnut campaigned by Three Chimneys Farm and Fern Circle Stables, enters from a 47-1 closing score under returning pilot Colby Hernandez in a nine-furlong optional claimer on June 30 at Churchill Downs. He entered that fifth career start with one win, a second-out graduation in April at Keeneland. 

“He broke his maiden at Keeneland this spring, and in that race we thought, ‘OK, we’re onto something here. We’re going the right way,’” said McPeek. “Then he had a couple of lackluster efforts and came back with a good one. Colby gets along well with him.”

Cypress Creek Equine’s Kentucky homebred Django, owned in partnership with KK Thoroughbred Racing, graduated last-out in his tenth lifetime outing, traveling nine furlongs on June 15 at Churchill. The Medaglia d’Oro dark bay ran into stiff competition as a juvenile, including a second to eventual Grade 1 Belmont Stakes-winner Dornoch in a 1 1/16-mile maiden in October at Keeneland. 

“He’s been a little bit of a slow learner, but he needs every inch of a mile and an eighth and maybe even more,” McPeek said. “We’ve always felt like he’d be a better 3-year-old, and he got beat by some really nice horses at two. Dornoch beat him at Keeneland.”

Rounding out the Saratoga field is Catire Vizcaya [post 3, Luis Saez, 120 pounds] for trainer Juan Avila. The 2-for-7 Anchor Down gray enters off a second in a one-mile optional claimer on June 24 at Parx Racing for owners Hablan Los Caballos, Marco Berne, and Cesar Valero.