Five Fastest Maidens Of the Week: Runaway Winners for Apr. 13-19

Five runaway winners top this week's rankings: their average margin of victory was 8 1/2 lengths.

5) HELEN'S REVENGE, AQU, 4/18-9th, 6f VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure-81
(f, 4, Solomini–Sign Off, by Distorted Humor)
O-Les Blake. B-McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds & Spruce Lane Farm (NY). T-Linda Rice. J-Jose Lezcano.
Already this year she had dominated in two starter races, for which she qualified by virtue of her December 2024 maiden win for $35,000 claiming and her 0-for-3 record in allowances and stakes. And now she delivers a career-best effort in dominating this allowance for non-winners of a race other than maiden, claiming or starter. The Aqueduct condition book has been her best friend.

4) INSTAMANIA, OP, 4/18-3rd, 6f VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure-85
(c, 3, Instagrand–Skamania, by Adios Charlie)
O-Lewis Mathews Jr. and Jennifer Carter. B-Lewis Mathews Jr (Ark). T-Thomas Van Berg. J-Francisco Arrieta.
Beaten just a nose in the Rainbow Stakes for Arkansas-breds as a maiden, on paper he was a legitimate 1-5 shot and ran like it, pummeling his rivals by 13 1/4 lengths. He's the first foal out of eight-time winner Skamania, claimed for $7,500 by prominent Arkansas owner-breeder Mathews.

3) BRILLIANT PLAN, LS, 4/16-6th, 7f VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure-85
(g, 3, Hard Spun–Sugarcraft, by Bernardini)
O/T-Karen Jacks. B-Godolphin (Ky). J-Floyd Wethey Jr.
In his second start–and his first on dirt–Brilliant Plan romped to a nine-length score in a Beyer figure that belies his modest $10,000 pricetag as a 2-year-old last fall in a Fasig-Tipton digital sale. He doesn't hail from one of Godolphin's more illustrious families: his dam Sugarcraft was a $950,000 yearling who flopped as a Charlie Appleby-trained runner. But he is a half-brother to Spycraft, who won a minor stakes after being claimed away from Godolphin for $30,000.

2) MIDWAY LANE, SA, 4/19-2nd, 1m VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure-85
(g, 4, Quality Road–Roxy Gap, by Indian Charlie)
O-Hronis Racing. B-Blue Heaven Farm (Ky). T-John Sadler. J-Antonio Fresu.
Midway Lane has shown Beyer improvement in each start, and put it all together in this fourth-out nine-length front-running maiden romp. His dam Roxy Gap, owned and bred by the late Eugene Melnyk, won three graded stakes at Woodbine on both turf and synthetic, and has had previous stakes runners as a producer.

1) FINAL STORY, KEE, 4/19-5th, about 7f VIDEO
Beyer Speed Figure-92
(c, 3, Candy Ride–Book Review, by Giant's Causeway)
O/B- Gary and Mary West (Ky). T-Brad Cox. J-Irad Ortiz Jr.
There would be no blown leads this time, as Final Story kicked away smartly from pace challenger Radar Lock for a six-length victory at 1-2 odds. The West homebred out of their Grade I winner Book Review was still running a bit high-headed, but as opposed to his debut, when he appeared in control only to finish his final furlong in :13.70, this time he maintained his focus to the wire.