HRN launches Kentucky Derby AI matching tool
Above: AI similarity map of Derby contenders (for full map, scroll to bottom).
In advance of Kentucky Derby 2024, Horse Racing Nation is launching a free Kentucky Derby AI Matching Tool where you can compare any of this year's contenders with any horses who ran in the Derby from 2005 through this year's potential field.
The AI tool compares all the Kentucky Derby runners across 18 dimensions and shows the top 10 matches for every one. Any horse can be searched, whether a current Derby contender or a past runner from 2005 through 2023. The lone exception is 2020, when the Derby was run in September. A total of 384 horses are used in the matching comparison.
"When we talked internally about fun things we could do with AI for the Kentucky Derby, everyone was excited about the idea of matching today's runners to past Derby horses," HRN CEO Mark Midland said.
Click here - to use the Kentucky Derby AI Matching Tool
The AI tool was developed by HRN's data team including Keith Bush, director of machine learning and advanced analytics, and Chris Rossi, director of data solutions.
"We developed a numerical fingerprint that incorporates each horse's talent, pre-race form, breeding and trainer in order to understand how these factors contribute to Derby performance," Bush said. "It's a tool we think can provide an at-a-glance summary of the likely race outcomes and may also be effective for characterizing other horses in the future, not just Derby contenders."
According to the AI matching, the best matches for this year's Kentucky Derby favorite Fierceness are shown below. The son of City of Light compares most closely to Good Magic, who ran second to Justify in the 2018 Kentucky Derby, followed by Classic Empire, who ran fourth as the favorite in 2017.
In addition to finding the closest matches for each horse, all 384 horses can be mapped out in a similarity map with the full map represented below. In this way, we can see how this year's Kentucky Derby contenders map next to previous winners.