Speed figures: Journalism leads fastest stakes winners
Journalism, who became a likely favorite in the Kentucky Derby by winning the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on Saturday, earned the highest Brisnet Speed Rating, 108, among last week's stakes winners.
With Umberto Rispoli in the irons, Journalism won the Santa Anita Derby impressively despite trip trouble. The Michael McCarthy trainee also earned a 102 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort, the highest of the week on that scale as well.
The second-highest figures on both scales went to Rodriguez for his victory in the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct. Ridden by Mike Smith for trainer Bob Baffert, Rodriguez earned both his first career stakes win and his ticket to the Kentucky Derby, leading at every call in the Wood. That effort earned him a 105 Brisnet figure as well as a 101 Beyer.
For more on speed figures, see Horse Racing Nation’s database of the top speed figures of the year, where you can sort runners by age, sex, surface and distance.
Here are the figures for last week’s highest-rated stakes winners, ranked by Brisnet Speed Ratings, with Beyer Speed Figures from Daily Racing Form.
| Horse | Race | Jockey | Brisnet | Beyer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journalism | Santa Anita Derby (G1) | Umberto Rispoli | 108 | 102 |
| Rodriguez | Wood Memorial (G2) | Mike Smith | 105 | 101 |
| Phileas Fogg | Excelsior | Kendrick Carmouche | 104 | 98 |
| Crazy Mason | Carter (G2) | Manny Franco | 100 | 98 |
| Style Cat | Echo Eddie | Juan Hernandez | 98 | 81 |
| Normandy Coast | Palisades | Cristian Torres | 97 | 80 |
| Verity | Beaumont (G2) | Vincent Cheminaud | 97 | 84 |
| Accretive | Evangeline Mile | Tim Thornton | 95 | 92 |
| Heroic Move | Sunland Park | Harry Hernandez | 95 | 91 |
| Queen Maxima | Monrovia (G3) | Juan Hernandez | 95 | 93 |
| Bank Frenzy | Haynesfield | Manny Franco | 94 | 97 |
| Tenma | Santa Anita Oaks (G2) | Juan Hernandez | 93 | 75 |
| Irish Maxima | Distaff (G3) | Frankie Pennington | 92 | 92 |
| Sterling Silver | Biogio's Rose | Javier Castellano | 92 | 91 |
| Ballerina d'Oro | Gazelle (G3) | Dylan Davis | 91 | 79 |
| Non Violence | Spotted Horse | Mitchell Murrill | 91 | 86 |
| Cool Cowboy | Lafayette | Floyd Wethey Jr. | 90 | 79 |
| Superwolf | Howard B. Noonan | Erik Barbaran | 90 | 72 |
| Liken It | Kenny Cotton Memorial | Devin Magnon | 89 | 77 |
| Supersonic Blue | John Shear | Edwin Maldonado | 88 | 74 |