Curlin Colt Latest Winner for McGaughey, Courtlandt

This column highlights the performances of maidens who have made no more than five starts and who either sold for more than $500,000 at public auction, have siblings that are graded/group winners, or have dams that are graded/group winners. BloodHorse research shows maiden winners, in particular, who meet these criteria are more likely to go on to be graded stakes winners.

Gulfstream Park

Following in the hoofprints of his other well-regarded, pricey stablemates, Change of Command  and Conquest Warrior , Corporate Power ran down his rivals late for a neck victory Feb. 24 at Gulfstream Park. The $925,000 son of Curlin   became the latest auspicious 3-year-old to find the winner's circle for Donald Adam's Courtlandt Farms and trainer Shug McGaughey.

#5 CORPORATE POWER ($4.60) gets up between rivals to win race 4 at Gulfstream Park.

This is the first victory and second career start for the Shug McGaughey trainee, who was ridden by @jjcjockey for Courtlandt Farms. pic.twitter.com/FlUYGa7iVr

— TVG (@TVG) February 24, 2024

Like $1.05 million Change of Command and $1 million Conquest Warrior, Adam acquired Corporate Power at the 2022 Keeneland September Sale. Clearly on the hunt for a colt to bring home the Roses the First Saturday in May, Corporate Power and his two barn mates also boast sterling pedigrees chock-full of two-turn influences. Corporate Power, by perennial leading stallion Curlin, is produced from the graded stakes winning Quality Road   mare Road to Victory. Trained by Mark Casse, Road to Victory was undefeated through her first three starts, including a score over two-time champion Monomoy Girl in the 2017 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs.

Corporate Power was a sneaky-good fourth in his seven-furlong debut at Gulfstream Park on Pegasus World Cup day. Overlooked at odds of 17-1, the bay bumped rivals at the start and rallied boldly from the back of the pack. The 1-2 finishers that afternoon, Speak Easy  and Victory Avenue , have been entered back in the Feb. 24 $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2).

Stretching out to 1 1/8 miles in his second outing, Corporate Power was the favorite this time against the re-opposing Batten Down , a full brother to millionaire and Classic-placed Tacitus  . Jostled again at the start, Corporate Power was taken back off the pace under jockey Javier Castellano before angling three-wide into the turn for home. Despite drifting in greenly down the lane, Castellano managed to correct the colt by mid-stretch and they bore down on a free-wheeling Batten Down, edging by that foe and a closing Sturdy  from between rivals.

Corporate Power raced the distance in 1:51.08 on a fast main track, running his final furlong in a solid :12 4/5.