Bob Baffert is no stranger to talented horses, so when he deems a horse "freaky" it is best to pay attention. That praise from the Hall of Fame trainer was justified in a big way May 2 when the unbeaten Crude Velocity overpowered previously unbeaten Englishman in the stretch to win the Grade 2 $741,330 Pat Day Mile Stakes presented by SAP at Churchill Downs.

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"I knew he was something really special," Baffert said about the 3-year-old son of sire Beau Liam. "He's a freaky horse, a really freaky horse."

Baffert said that Crude Velocity was the kind of horse that could have entered the Santa Anita Derby in an attempt to point to the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, but that he chose a more conservative approach to the Pat Day Mile to be able to properly develop him.

"When you have a horse of this kind of freaky talent, I want to manage that the right way," Baffert said. "I don't want to cook him."

Jockey Florent Geroux has been aboard for all three starts, all wins, and also believes Crude Velocity is of the quality of the 3-year-old division's best.

"I wish he had a little more time to develop and maybe he probably would've been in the Derby," Geroux said. "He's an amazing horse. I always told Bob this is probably the best 3-year-old in your barn."

The race then essentially unfolded like a match race, which is exactly what the bettors predicted as the 3-2 Crude Velocity and 8-5 Englishman were the only two runners in the field of 11 under 10-1.

Englishman set fractions of :22.06, :44.20, and 1:08.13. Geroux never let him out of his sights aboard Crude Velocity. Giving him a breather around the three-eighth pole, Geroux pushed forward as they approached the quarter pole, but Englishman held tough.

Crude Velocity eventually edged clear around the sixteenth pole and powered to a 3 3/4-length win. Englishman was second while another 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Stop the Car in third. The final time of 1:33.87 fell just 0.61 off the track record and was 0.10 faster than the time of 4-year-old Tour Player in the Knicks Go Overnight Stakes earlier on the card.

Crude Velocity, owned by CSLR Racing Partners, has been listed as a probable for the May 16 Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park by the Maryland Jockey Club, but Baffert didn't want to confirm any future targets after the race.

Geroux said he's confident the colt can get two turns.

Japan's T O Elvis Leaves the Building with a Win in Churchill Downs Stakes

A collection of many of the top United States-based sprinters and milers proved no match for Japan's T O Elvis in the $1 million Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes presented by Ford on May 2. In his first start outside of Japan, T O Elvis delivered a head-turning winning performance Saturday in his return to Kentucky where he was bred.

Despite racing three wide through the turn under jockey Ryusei Sakai, T O Elvis rolled past rivals in the turn, seized the lead in early stretch while four wide, opened a clear advantage in mid-stretch, and drew off to a 3 1/4-length victory.

"This is one of the most happiest moments of my life," said owner Tomoya Ozasa in the Churchill Downs winner's circle. "This is actually the only Kentucky-bred I have at the moment, but I may need to increase that number."

Coming into the race the story was the Grade 1 debut of Godolphin homebred Knightsbridge, who brought a four-race win streak into Saturday's seven-furlong test including three straight Grade 3 scores at Gulfstream Park and this winter. He was sent off the 8-5 favorite but faded to sixth in the stretch after contending throughout.

Instead, it would be the field's other horse entered for his Grade 1 debut off a four-race win streak who would shine.

"I wanted to race her for his breeder, that's why I came over here," trainer Daisuke Takayanagi said. "I understand this field was really, really strong. Seeing him perform like this, I'm really happy for that."

Takayanagi said he'll give strong consideration toward a return to Kentucky for the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Keeneland this fall.

T O Elvis completed the seven furlongs in 1:20.49 on a fast track. He was followed home by Disruptor, who rallied from ninth early to finish second. Crazy Mason rallied from 11th to secure third.

"It's so special to get a win like this at Churchill Downs," Sakai, who is known to United States racing fans as the regular rider of 2025 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic winner Forever Young, said through a translator. "It's been such a great experience." -- Frank Angst

Favored Stark Contrast Much the Best in American Turf

Stark Contrast reaped the benefits of staying on the grass rather than running in the Kentucky Derby by winning the Grade 1 $999,750 American Turf Stakes in decisive fashion May 2 card at Churchill Downs.

The Michael McCarthy trainee broke sharply under jockey Flavien Prat and sat mid-pack. He continued to race under a confident hold down the backstretch and on the far turn he was sent outside and began gaining on the leaders. As they hit the stretch, Stark Contrast reached the front and opened up on his rivals, crossing the wire 2 1/4 lengths the best. He finished the 1 1/16-mile turf race in a final time of 1:40.31. He paid $4.40 for a $2 wager as the post-time favorite.

"My only instructions were to get him in a good spot," Prat said. "I did that. He's a good horse; he's a very good horse."

Stark Contrast, 3-year-old homebred for Amerman Racing, ran second to Fulleffort last time out in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks on the all-weather track at Turfway Park. He earned 50 points towards the Kentucky Derby and his connections pondered running in the Derby but opted to return to Stark Contrast to his preferred grass surface and enter the American Turf instead.

"This horse is very, very good," McCarthy said. "Even if he had won the Jeff Ruby, I think we still would have participated here. It just feels good when a plan comes together at the end, especially on a big day like today, where the competition is so tough."

Cherie DeVaux trainee Remember Mamba came with an outside run but was not able to collar the leader and had to settle for second. Whit Beckman's Honey Dutch was a part of the early pace and faded to third.

Stark Contrast now has four wins from seven starts. He earned his first Grade 1 win in his second attempt in such company. Last October he finished a narrow second to Gstaad in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in his only other top-level start.  All his wins have come on the grass and his connections plan to continue to race him on that surface. – Lizzy Madden

Classic Q Wins Churchill Distaff Turf Mile

Facing a field that featured a solid slate of contenders, Classic Q bested Portfolio Duration by a neck to win the Grade 2 $976,000 Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill Downs.

Having spent most of her career knocking up against some of the more accomplished turf distaffers of her generation, the Mark Casse-trained daughter of Classic Empire had repeatedly found herself on the podium but out of the winner's circle in her eight prior tries in graded stakes races.

The past performance lines may have shown Classic Q was coming into the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile on a six-race losing skid but they also displayed she had been sharpening her form against the likes of Grade 1 winner Lush Lips, who beat her less than a length last time in the Grade 3 Honey Fox Stakes at Gulfstream Park Feb. 28.

"This one is special, it was rewarding," Casse said. "She's run so hard so many times. She likes it (at Churchill Downs) and she likes the short turns. She's a machine."

After taking up residence in second just off the flank of early pacesetter Italian Soiree through the opening quarter-mile in :24.26, Classic Q let jockey John Velazquez know she could wait no more down the backstretch, sticking her head in front as they reached the half in :47.93 and getting some separation from her rivals as she reached the far turn.

As she came off the turn and set down for the stretch drive, Classic Q had enough in reserve to open up by a couple lengths, a margin that would need every inch as Portfolio Duration emerged from the pack and came with a late kick under Flavien Prat. Game as that surge was, it would be in vain with Classic Q holding on to hit the wire in 1:34.71.

Portfolio Duration held for second with Pin Up Betty in third. -- Alicia Hughes

Rhetorical Romps in Turf Classic

Rhetorical tallied a front-end score in the $1.5 million Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic under Irad Ortiz Jr. May 2 at Churchill Downs. He led all the way to win by 3 1/4 lengths in a time of 1:45.96 for the 1 1/8 miles on firm turf. He was sent off as the 1.96-1 favorite in the nine-horse field and returned $5.92 to win for a $2 wager.

The victory marked the second Grade 1 win in the career of young trainer Will Walden.

Rhetorical, 5-year-old gelding by Not This Time owned by Gary Barber, Cheyenne Stable, and Wachtel Stable, broke alertly and was sent right to the lead setting fractions of :23.51, :47.40, and 1:10.70. He hit another gear coming down the stretch, easily putting away his competition.

Make Me King made a strong move on the outside from near the rear of the field to finish second. It was another 3 1/2 lengths back to Corruption third.