LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Considering that a race is often won by the swift, here is a look at the Kentucky Derby contenders in an attempt to isolate the fastest horses, as well as those that exhibit favorable figure patterns leading into the race. Let’s start with last-race figures, as it is a reflection on current form and quickness. There, Irish War Cry ranks on top, having posted a 101 Beyer Speed Figure in winning the April 8 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. That was his second triple-digit Beyer of the year, having also earned a 101 Beyer in winning the Holy Bull on Feb. 4 at Gulfstream. Tied for next fastest from a last-race perspective are Always Dreaming and Hence, who both ran 97 Beyers in their final Derby preps. Always Dreaming accomplished his in the Grade 1 Florida Derby, which has long been a major stepping-stone to the Kentucky Derby, while Hence did it in a somewhat unlikely place, in New Mexico, winning the Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby. The strength of the latter race has been validated by the next-out performances of the other top finishers from the race. Fourth-place Irap returned to win the Grade 2 Blue Grass and second-place Conquest Mo Money and third-place Hedge Fund came back with close runner-up finishes in the Arkansas and Illinois derbies, respectively. Whether Always Dreaming and Hence can reproduce those fast races without bouncing is another question. Both horses have worked nicely at Churchill, though Always Dreaming has been rank and overeager in his gallops. A number of others in the field fall right behind the leading group in the 90-94 last-out Beyer range, led by Classic Empire (94) and followed by  Irap (93), Practical Joke (92), Girvin (91), Lookin At Lee (91), Sonneteer (90), and State of Honor. And although Beyers are not officially produced for races in Dubai, figure guru Andy Beyer estimated the winning figure from Thunder Snow in the UAE Derby to be a 94. What about career-best figures? There, it is worth noting that three horses have run a 100 Beyer or higher: Classic Empire in winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last fall with a 102; J Boys Echo with an identical figure in taking the Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct in March; and Irish War Cry with a 101 in taking the Holy Bull at Gulfstream in February. That makes Irish War Cry unique in that he is the only Derby entrant to have run a 100 Beyer or higher on two occasions, doing so first in the Holy Bull and then in the Wood. Sandwiched in between was a dismal effort in the Fountain of Youth in which he stopped badly after chasing the pace. Most would view this as a favorable pattern coming into the Derby, although skeptics might wonder if he could bounce off his most-recent fast race in the Wood, just as he did previously following his Holy Bull. I land in the optimistic group. Though the last-race figure of Classic Empire in the Arkansas Derby wasn’t his best, it could be a reflection that he is cycling back to a peak effort. It did mark his second-fastest race of his career and coming under adverse circumstances after missing training due to physical and mental issues earlier in February and March. Gunnevera,  J Boys Echo, McCraken, and Tapwrit are capable of running faster than what they showed last out. Gunnevera is a tricky read off his Florida Derby, essentially being a non-factor and passing tired horses to be third – a vast difference from when he unleashed powerful rallies to be second in the Holy Bull and in winning the Fountain of Youth. The jury is out whether a rebound  is forthcoming or not. An expected hot pace in the Derby would seem to set his up his customary late rally, but a slow five-furlong workout in 1:03.60 Apr. 28 at Churchill did little to excite onlookers, though he has long been an ordinary work horse. J Boys Echo’s regression when he ran fourth in the Blue Grass is less surprising after his fast Gotham Mar. 4 that came on a tiring Aqueduct inner track on which horses seemed to love or loathe, resulting in strung-out fields. His 102 seems like a fluke related to the track conditions. McCraken and Tapwrit would seem the ones most likely to return to peak form with both having trained well at Churchill and having on multiple occasions run much faster than they did in an oddly slow Blue Grass. The Blue Grass is a difficult race for figure-players to analyze – as it seemed to be one of the better preps before the running, but ultimately was won by Irap in modest time, with a number of the beaten horses running far below their customary figures.