Saratoga stakes winner tops Thursday's speed figures

Photo: NYRA / Susie Raisher

Doc Sullivan delivered Thursday's top performance with an exceptional 135 Horse Racing Nation speed figure at Saratoga. The 4-year-old colt by Solomini prevailed at 5-1 odds in the seven-furlong, dirt John Morrissey Stakes. This marked his fifth career victory in his 15th lifetime start.

Journeyman earned a 126 HRN speed figure at Woodbine in a 7 1/2-furlong turf allowance optional claimer. The 9-year-old gelding by Animal Kingdom scored at 8-1 odds, notching his 12th career win from 62 lifetime starts.

Psychedelic Shack completed the top three with a 124 HRN speed figure at Delaware Park. The 7-year-old gelding by Shackleford won a five-furlong turf starter optional claimer at 4-1 odds, recording his sixth career victory in his 21st start.

Top 10 Thursday figures

HRN Horse Sire Age Race Distance
135 Doc Sullivan Solomini 4C SAR 9 7f dirt
126 Journeyman Animal Kingdom 9G WO 6 7 1/2f turf
124 Psychedelic Shack Shackleford 7G DEL 3 5f turf
122 Dirty Rich Thousand Words 2C DMR 2 5 1/2f dirt
122 Healing Waters Midnight Lute 5G IND 3 6f dirt
118 Khafre American Pharoah 7G SAR 8 1 1/8 miles dirt
116 Bodecream Bodemeister 8G CNL 7 1 1/4 miles turf
116 Baltic Fire Flameaway 4F DMR 7 1 1/16 miles turf
115 Holiday Pay Awesome Slew 4C CNL 3 1 1/16 miles dirt
113 Ragtime Belle Union Rags 6M CNL 2 1 mile dirt

Maiden winners display promising talent

Harbor Code produced the day's top maiden performance with a 108 HRN speed figure at Del Mar. The 3-year-old gelding by Desert Code broke through in his fourth career start, winning a 5 1/2-furlong maiden claiming race on dirt at 11-1 odds. He is out of Harbor Song, by Unbridled's Song, whose top offspring includes Offshore Affair, an earner of over $304,000.

Lady Rider earned a 102 HRN speed figure at Del Mar in a one-mile dirt maiden claiming event. The 3-year-old filly by Accelerate prevailed at 6-1 odds in her fourth lifetime start. Her dam Koukla by Northern Afleet also produced Brix, an earner of $192,000.

Tacit Value posted a 103 HRN speed figure at Delaware Park in a 5 1/2-furlong dirt maiden claiming race. The 2-year-old filly by Tacitus won at 4-1 odds in her fourth career start. She is out of Enterprise Value by Bellamy Road, whose top offspring includes Laddie Dance, who has earned $101,000 in his career.

Top maiden winners

HRN Horse Sire Age Race Distance
108 Harbor Code Desert Code 3G DMR 8 5 1/2f dirt
103 Tacit Value Tacitus 2F DEL 2 5 1/2f dirt
102 Lady Rider Accelerate 3F DMR 4 1 mile dirt
97 Name It Candy Ride 4G CNL 9 1 1/16 miles turf
97 Radio Goo Goo Twirling Candy 3F WO 8 1 mile turf
94 Kaladin Street Magician 3G DEL 4 6f dirt
91 Ditched Broken Vow 3F CNL 5 1 1/16 miles turf
89 Shameless Bride Vekoma 3F CNL 4 5 1/2f turf
89 Seven P R C Perfect Timber 3F WO 2 7f synthetic
77 Buster B Slope 4G IND 6 5 1/2f dirt

About HRN speed figures

HRN speed figures are AI-generated using HRN's proprietary machine-learning algorithms. Although they involve less human input than other speed figures, we see that as a plus as human adjustments often knock down surprisingly good performances to match expectations. HRN speed figures were launched in December 2024, and our expectation is also that the AI-generated speed figures will continously get better over time.

The HRN speed figure scale goes from 1 to 160. Part of the reason for this higher scale is this helps us avoid assigning a speed figure of zero. For some products, in weaker races, half the field or more may get a speed figure of zero, which leads to inaccuracy and defeats the purpose of speed figures.

Because the HRN speed figures are based on machine learning, as we improve our models we can compute the numbers historically. 

Using the top last-race speed figure as a benchmark, here are stats from 2021 to 2024 for HRN and other speed-figure providers:

• Top HRN figure 26.2% winners

• Top Beyer figure 28.1% winners

• Top TimeformUS figure 28.4% winners

Although all HRN speed figures are published on individual horse profile pages on a weekly basis, the daily reports are focused on the top and medium-tier tracks, which represent the majority of top speed figures.

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