In UK and Irish horse racing, two of the most popular performance measures you’ll see are Speed Figures and RANTO Figures. Understanding the difference—and knowing how to use each—can make a real difference, whether you’re a new punter or an experienced form student. This article explains what they are, how they’re calculated, which is more “powerful,” and gives examples so you can apply them straight away.
Speed figures are numerical ratings that measure how fast a horse actually ran in a race, after adjusting for conditions like the going, track layout, and race distance. The higher the figure, the faster the performance. Speed figures are widely used to compare horses across different races—even when the distance or track is different.
One of the leading suppliers of speed figures in the UK is Inform Racing. Their figures use an established method to create an even playing field, stripping out most variables so that you’re left with a simple “who was fastest?” rating.
RANTO figures are another performance rating—and can be found on the site Patternform. RANTO stands for “Racing ANalysis TOol.” While speed figures focus on time, RANTO figures are a more complex, composite measure. They factor in not just speed, but also class, finishing position, race pace, going, and sometimes the “context” of a run (like whether a horse was eased or blocked). RANTO figures are less about “how fast?” and more about “how strong was the run overall?”
Patternform users often look at both the standard speed figure and the RANTO figure for a more complete picture.
Imagine a simple race with three horses, and you see these figures on Patternform:
As a punter, you might look for horses with both high speed *and* RANTO figures for extra confidence—or look for horses whose RANTO is much higher than their speed (often an “eye-catcher” last time out). For instance, a low speed/high RANTO may signal a horse that ran better than the clock suggests—perhaps worth following.
Neither is “better” in all situations. Speed figures are straightforward—excellent for sprints or when you want to trust the stopwatch. RANTO figures shine in messy races or when the finishing position doesn’t tell the whole story. The most successful punters usually blend both: using speed figures to spot raw ability, and RANTO to find runs that the clock might not fully reveal.