SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Unmatched Wisdom passed his first real test with high marks Friday at Saratoga, recording a front-running, one-length victory in the $135,000 Curlin Stakes and most likely earning a spot in the starting gate for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes on Aug. 24. Hustled to the front by Flavien Prat after veering in at the break, Unmatched Wisdom was clear through a half-mile in 48.37 seconds and six furlongs in 1:12.66. By the three-eighths pole, Corporate Power, the only stakes winner in the field, made a run at Unmatched Wisdom. Prat got Unmatched Wisdom 2 1/2 lengths clear in midstretch and then held off another bid by Corporate Power late. Corporate Power, ridden by Javier Castellano, finished three lengths clear of Timeout, who was followed by Django and Elephants Ear. Catire Vizcaya was eased but walked off. The victory improved Unmatched Wisdom’s record to 3 for 3. His previous two victories came by a combined 12 lengths and he was never seriously challenged. Friday, Unmatched Wisdom had to work a little bit and that was just fine with trainer Chad Brown. “He had some more seasoning today; I don’t know that I learned anything about him, but I think he got that final piece of fitness that he’s going to need as he’s playing catch-up with this very deep 3-year-old crop,” said Brown, who won his fifth Curlin Stakes. “If he’s going to step up to the Travers from here he’s going to have to get considerably faster again but he got a good, hard race out of it. I like the fact that it was a close race at the end and he got a blow out of it.” :: Get Saratoga Clocker Reports straight from the morning workouts at the track. Available every race day. Brown said he was intent on having Prat put Unmatched Wisdom on the lead. Prat said the horse broke “a little sluggish” but responded to his urging to get the lead. In the stretch, Prat said Unmatched Wisdom “was playing around. He won two races pretty easily, so I never really asked him to run down the lane. I went after him a little bit just to keep him focused, but I felt like I had plenty underneath me.” Unmatched Wisdom, a son of Cairo Prince owned by Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.70 and returned $2.80 as 2-5 favorite. Castellano said he had to move Corporate Power after Unmatched Wisdom earlier than he would have liked in order to challenge unmatched Wisdom. “It seemed the race was going to be him and me,” Castellano said. “I had to encourage him a little bit. I think it could have cost me the win, but hey, second best today. I think I’m looking forward to the next race.” Shug McGaughey, the trainer of Corporate Power, said he was pleased with his horse’s performance and said the Travers would likely be next. In 2014, V. E. Day won the Curlin and the Travers. Since then, six Curlin winners have run in the Travers with five finishing sixth and one finishing seventh. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.