Speed figures: These are Thursday's fastest winners

Photo: Jessica Morgan / Eclipse Sportswire

Possiblemente topped Thursday's performers, earning a 137 Horse Racing Nation speed figure in a conditioned six-furlong allowance-optional claiming sprint at Turfway Park. The 6-year-old Tale of Ekati gelding, trained by Joe Sharp, stalked the pace and took over in the final furlong to win by 1 1/2 lengths at 5-2 odds. It was his second win in a row and his ninth in 30 career starts.

Dry Powder earned a 130 HRN speed figure in a second-level allowance-optional claiming dirt mile at Gulfstream. The 4-year-old daughter of Gun Runner, trained by Chad Summers, was sent off at 1-2 odds in her first start out of stakes company since May. She chased toward the rear of a compact field after stumbling early, bid around the turn, and ran clear in the lane to win by 5 3/4 lengths. The victory was her third in nine lifetime starts and her first since the Cathryn Sophia Stakes in August at Parx.

Ervadean completed the top three with a 129 HRN speed figure in a six-furlong dirt sprint at Oaklawn Park, an allowance for fillies and mares who had not won three races. Sent off at 7-1, the Dallas Stewart trainee stalked the pace, took the lead midstretch, and found just enough to hold off late-running favorite Beauty Reigns by a neck. A 6-year-old daughter of Connect, she won for the third time in 20 lifetime outings and the first time since an allowance win at Fair Grounds in December 2023.

Thursday's top 10 speed figures

HRN Horse Sire Age Race Distance
137 Possiblemente Tale of Ekati 6G TP 8 6f syn
130 Dry Powder Gun Runner 4F GP 9 1 mile dirt
129 Ervadean Connect 6M OP 8 6f dirt
127 Mo for the King King for a Day 4G AQU 6 6f dirt
124 Next Girl Divining Rod 5M CNL 6 1 1/16 dirt
123 Classical Ocean Ocean Knight 5G FG 1 6f dirt
123 Digital Ops Nyquist 5H CNL 7 1 3/8 dirt
123 Crisis Manager Liam's Map 4G FG 8 1 1/16 dirt
121 Alrosa Liam's Map 3F FG 2 6f dirt
121 Luv to Win Mr. Scotty 7G OP 4 6f dirt

Fastest maiden winners

Classical Ocean posted the day's highest maiden-winning HRN speed figure with a 123 at Fair Grounds. The 5-year-old Ocean Knight gelding, trained by Chadwick Moulton, was making his career debut in a $20,000 claiming race for Louisiana-breds at six furlongs on the dirt. He led at every call and ran on in the lane to win by 3 1/2 lengths. He is out of the winning Cherokee Run mare Classical Dice, who now has three winners from four starters. Her top earner, the Zong mare Classical Magnolia, won twice and earned $79,380.

Alrosa impressed with a 121 HRN speed figure in a six-furlong maiden-optional claimer on the Fair Grounds dirt. The Jose Camejo trainee, starting for the sixth time, was protected under the auction condition. She tracked at the middle of a compact field early and took over well within herself in the lane, winning by 3 1/2 lengths at 6-1 odds. Alrosa is out of the unraced Distorted Humor mare Midpoint, a daughter of the multiple Grade 2-placed A.P. Indy mare Centring. Midpoint's other starter, the Frosted colt Acertijo, is a winner in Mexico.

Always Spiteful earned a 120 HRN speed figure at Oaklawn Park in her debut. The 3-year-old filly by Classic Empire, sent off the 2-1 betting favorite, led at every call and scored by 6 3/4 lengths in the $50,000 maiden claiming race. She was trained by Eddie Kenneally into the race, but claimed for $50,000 to the barn of Phil D'Amato out of it. Always Spiteful is the second starter out of the winning and stakes-placed Palace Malice mare Spitefulness. Her only sibling to run, the McKinzie mare Mizmalice, has won twice and earned $113,159.

Thursday's top maiden winners

HRN Horse Sire Age Race Distance Winning
Margin
123 Classical Ocean Ocean Knight 5G FG 1 6f dirt 3 1/2
121 Alrosa Liam's Map 3F FG 2 6f dirt 3 1/2
120 Always Spiteful Classic Empire 3F OP 3 6f dirt 6 3/4
115 Jamaican Destiny Audible 3F GP 1 6f dirt 2 1/4
115 Radauti Tonalist 4C CNL 4 1 mile dirt 1 1/4
107 Bourbon Flight McKinzie 4C TP 9 1 mile syn head
105 Golden Thread City of Light 3F TP 5 6f syn 3 1/4
104 Caracas Caracaro 4C GP 10 7 1/2f turf neck
101 Butch Mark Valeski 4G OP 6 6f dirt neck
101 Eileen's a Warrior Chance It 3F CNL 8 6f dirt 9 1/2

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.

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