Crude Velocity razor-sharp in Pat Day Mile (G2)

Though Crude Velocity was making his stakes debut for Bob Baffert in the $750,000 Pat Day Mile (G2) on Derby Day at Churchill Downs, the 3-year-old colt looked like a seasoned professional in the 3 ¾-length triumph.

Sent off the 3-2 favorite following two stellar wins in southern California, Crude Velocity was pinched at the start of Saturday’s race, but recovered nicely to be second behind Englishman in the first quarter-mile. The positions were unchanged as Crude Velocity chased through lightning-fast splits of :44.20 and 1:08.13. Englishman continued to lead until the sixteenth pole, when Crude Velocity kicked clear to stop the timer in 1:33.87, a half-second off the track record.

“This horse is a freaky horse,” said Baffert. “He is so talented. I was very surprised that he was able to win first out with all of the trouble he got in. If he stays healthy, we’ll be hearing from this horse down the road.”

“Since the blinkers have been removed, he’s been a dream to ride,” said Florent Geroux. “He’s able to follow very fast fractions easily and I attacked Englishman at the quarter-pole and responded well. He’s an amazing horse. I told Bob it was the best 3-year-old in his barn. I wish we had more time to develop and I think he would have been in the Derby today.”

Crude Velocity has won all three of his starts and earned $552,820 for owners CSLR Racing Partners, LLC.