‘Childs’ Play: Bright Future for Dramatic Debut Winner Crude Velocity

[Wandering Eyes]

A Kentucky Derby prep race could be next for Crude Velocity (Beau Liam), who overcame an impossible trip to win on debut with 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' honors for Bob Baffert at Santa Anita Mar. 7.

“We're gonna leave California with him,” owner Bill Childs said after reloading at last week's OBS March sale. “There are more opportunities for him outside of California. Bob will still have him. We want to take dead aim on what we're doing being something worthwhile. We're gonna try to target something that won't be easy, but we feel like we have one that fits that plan.”

Nothing went according to plan for Crude Velocity first time out.

Overlooked at odds of 10-1, the bay was off to a slow start from his rail draw and trailed the field of nine shortly after the break in a very deep 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight.

He rushed up and raced under a tight hold beneath Florent Geroux just behind the leaders in sixth through an opening quarter in :22.23. Steadied in traffic, Crude Velocity dropped back sharply and was going the wrong way around the far turn. He wasn't done yet though.

He dialed it back up approaching the quarter pole, was guided out into the clear in the stretch and came storming home in a field-best :30.64 to nail the GII Wood Memorial S.-bound Civil Liberty (Independence Hall) by a neck. Crude Velocity earned an 89 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

#1 CRUDE VELOCITY ($23.00) and @flothejock ran down Civil Liberty to win R6 at @SantaAnitaPark. This was the maiden win for the three-year-old Beau Liam (@AirdrieStud) colt. Bob Baffert trains. pic.twitter.com/wf1h8n98SZ

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 7, 2026

“That was crazy, wasn't it? Just absolutely wild,” Childs said. “We've always thought he was that kind of horse, but thinking it and knowing it is two different things. We were just thrilled. It was just really something. That was a hell of a race.”

Childs added, “He showed so much talent. We knew going in he was a damn fast horse.”

Hailing from the first crop of Beau Liam, Crude Velocity brought $250,000 from Childs's CSLR Racing Partners after breezing a quarter in :20 1/5 at last year's June 2-Year-Old in Training and Horses of Racing Age sale. He was previously a $12,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall yearling and a $3,000 Fasig-Tipton December Digital graduate.

Crude Velocity was produced by the unraced Lemon Drop Kid mare Sweetnsour Kitty, just a $2,000 purchase by breeder La Ciega at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February sale.

“He had a little bit of an injury when he was a weanling and it was a question mark as to how much it was gonna effect him,” Childs said.

“We bought him knowing that, but we thought that he was so fast and so good that we were willing to take that risk. It was a little bit of a… It's hard to explain, but it was down in his ankle and happened when he was three months old. Our vet said, 'It's so old, if he can do what he's doing right now, I'd say take the risk.'”

Previously involved in ownership in the 1980s, Childs returned joined by his son Alex to launch CSLR Racing in 2022.

Bill Childs | Photos by Z

The operation has hit the ground running with standouts such as 2025 GI Frizette S. winner Iron Orchard (Authentic) (Editor's Note: Iron Orchard brought $2.5 million from KatieRich Farms at last year's Fasig-Tipton Mid-October Digital sale); 2025 GI Malibu S. runner-up Midland Money (Shancelot); and graded winners Cash Call (McKinzie), Pilot Commander (Justify) and Silent Law (Tiz the Law).

The Ft. Worth, Texas-based businessman and developer spent $1.15 million on a trio of 2-year-old colts, all by freshmen sires, at OBS March.

Teaming up with Jimmy Gladwell, he purchased: Hip 135, a Jackie's Warrior colt bred in New York by Chester and Mary Broman for $500,000 (:9 4/5); Hip 748, a colt by Drain the Clock o/o a half-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Wavell Avenue for $350,000 (:20 1/5); and Hip 419, an Olympiad colt o/o a daughter of GISW Game Face for $300,000 (:9 4/5). Baffert will train the Drain the Clock colt. The other two are heading to Danny Gargan.

“Everything we bought we felt like had talent,” Childs said. “Hell, it's always a gamble, you never know, but we liked those and we'll give 'em a shot.”

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