Speed figures: 2 fast maiden winners lead Friday's best
Sir George led all Thursday performers with a 131 Horse Racing Nation speed figure in a maiden special weight dirt mile at Laurel. Making his fifth career start for trainer Michael Gorham, the 3-year-old Street Sense colt was sent off the 9-5 second choice in the field of five. He stalked the early pace, took command approaching the lane, and drew off to win by 14 1/4 lengths under a hand ride.
Super Happy earned a 124 HRN speed figure at Oaklawn on Friday in a six-furlong maiden special weight on dirt. The 3-year-old Runhappy colt, trained by Lonnie Briley, broke his maiden at third asking. Sent off at 6-1 in the field of seven, he bumped with a foe early but still made it quickly to the lead. He set the pace all the way around, crossing the wire 2 1/2 lengths clear.
Friday's top 10 speed figures
| HRN | Horse | Sire | Age | Race | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 131 | Sir George | Street Sense | 3C | LRL 3 | 1 mile dirt |
| 124 | Super Happy | Runhappy | 3C | OP 5 | 6f dirt |
| 124 | Missed the Cut | Quality Road | 7G | GP 6 | 1 mile turf |
| 123 | Sounds Like a Plan | Twirling Candy | 4G | AQU 4 | 1 1-16 turf |
| 123 | Time for Truth | Omaha Beach | 5G | OP 8 | 6f dirt |
| 122 | Have Faith | Vekoma | 3F | OP 9 | 6f dirt |
| 122 | Show Time | Into Mischief | 7G | KEE 7 | 6f dirt |
| 122 | Grand Mo the First | Uncle Mo | 5H | GP 7 | 1 mile dirt |
| 122 | Damascus Steel | Mitole | 3C | KEE 4 | 6 1-2f dirt |
| 120 | Gun Range | Gun Runner | 3C | KEE 9 | 6f dirt |
Fastest maiden winners
Sir George posted the day's highest overall HRN speed figure, a 131, while breaking his maiden Friday by 14 1/4 lengths at Laurel Park. The 3-year-old Street Sense colt is out of the Harlan's Holiday mare Pretty Girl, a Group 1 winner in Argentina and multiple Grade 2-placed stateside. She has produced three winners from five starters. Her top earner thus far is Escale, a four-time winner in Japan who has earned US$396,431 so far.
Super Happy impressed with a 124 HRN speed figure in a six-furlong dirt maiden special weight at Oaklawn, the joint second highest figure of the day from any race at any level. Super Happy, a 3-year-old colt by Runhappy, is the first starter out of the unraced Maclean's Music mare Platinum Artist. Platinum Artist is out of the Carson City mare Golden Victress, a full sister to Grade 2 winner Paved in Gold.
Gun Range earned a 120 HRN speed figure at Keeneland on Friday, winning his debut at six furlongs on dirt. The 3-year-old Gun Runner colt, trained by Wesley Ward, was the 3-1 second choice of nine. He stalked in range outside horses, rallied to the lead in upper stretch, and opened up to win by five lengths. Gun Range is out of the War Front mare Bella Carina, an unraced half-sister to both Grade 1 winner Malibu Prayer and Grade 2-winning millionaire Valid. Gun Range is the third winner from three starters out of his dam, who has also produced Grade 3 winner Delahaye and Grade 2-placed stakes winner Tempus Volat.
Friday's top maiden winners
| HRN | Horse | Sire | Age | Race | Distance | Winning Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 131 | Sir George | Street Sense | 3C | LRL 3 | 1 mile dirt | 14 1/4 lengths |
| 124 | Super Happy | Runhappy | 3C | OP 5 | 6f dirt | 2 1/2 lengths |
| 120 | Gun Range | Gun Runner | 3C | KEE 9 | 6f dirt | 5 lengths |
| 116 | Yes I Will | No Never No More | 3G | TAM 4 | 7f dirt | 2 lengths |
| 113 | Easy Dial | Dialed In | 4G | KEE 5 | 6f dirt | 1 1/2 lengths |
| 110 | Thank You India | Practical Joke | 3F | SA 2 | 6f dirt | 7 1/2 lengths |
| 103 | Laudable | Good Samaritan | 3G | GP 2 | 1 mile turf | 3/4 length |
| 103 | Our Preferred Pal | Central Banker | 4F | AQU 6 | 7f dirt | 2 lengths |
| 103 | Subatomic Law | Tiz the Law | 3F | SA 3 | 6 1-2f turf | 1 3/4 lengths |
| 101 | Nineteenth Hole | Clubhouse Ride | 4G | SA 9 | 1 mile turf | 1/2 length |
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 continuously 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.
Note: For the fastest maiden winners mentioned, all dam and sibling earnings are based on North American starts only.