The Record
China's Message appears in the surviving Plainridge programs across 4 seasons, 2004 to 2010, with 8 starts for which the official chart records a finishing position. 2 of those produced wins, and the horse finished in the first three on 3 occasions altogether.
The fastest mile recorded here is 2:00.1, set on Saturday, August 7, 2004. A harness time is written in minutes, seconds and fifths, so the final digit is a fifth of a second rather than a hundredth. On a track of this size like Plainridge a horse turns four times in a mile, which costs ground against the bigger tracks and makes reading one mile against another misleading.
The winner's line in the chart gives the breeding as CARRY THE MESSAGE out of CHINA SCORE, herself by FINAL SCORE. Harness pedigrees are quoted in that order — sire, dam, then the dam's own sire — because the maternal grandsire carries much of the weight in judging a standardbred family.
The classes China's Message was entered in run to NW200PSL5, NW200PS, 3000CLHC, 5000CL OP, 7500CL OP, NW5PMLT. These are condition races rather than claiming events, so eligibility rested on money already won rather than on a posted purchase price.
The drivers who sat behind China's Message most often were Todd M O'Dea (8). Driver changes matter more in harness racing than the bare numbers suggest, because the same horse can be driven for early speed or held for a late quarter depending on who holds the lines.
Every Start Held Here
| Date | Rc | Fin | PP | Time | Odds | Driver | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 9, 2010 | 8 | — | 1 | — | — | To O'Dea | NW200PSL5 |
| Jun 14, 2010 | 7 | — | 6 | — | — | To O'Dea | NW200PS |
| Nov 17, 2009 | 2 | — | 5 | — | — | To O'Dea | 3000CLHC |
| Mar 26, 2009 | 4 | — | 5 | — | — | To O'Dea | 3000CLHC |
| Mar 19, 2009 | 5 | — | 6 | — | — | To O'Dea | 3000CLHC |
| May 13, 2008 | 11 | — | 3 | — | — | To O'Dea | NW200PS |
| Oct 25, 2004 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 2:01.3 | 5.70 | Todd M O'Dea | 5000CL OP |
| Oct 18, 2004 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 2:03.3 | 6.80 | Todd M O'Dea | 5000CL OP |
| Oct 11, 2004 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 2:07.2 | 15.50 | Todd M O'Dea | 7500CL OP |
| Sep 27, 2004 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 2:00.4 | 11.00 | Todd M O'Dea | NW5PMLT |
| Sep 13, 2004 | 11 | — | 5 | — | — | Todd M O'Dea | CLMHC |
| Aug 17, 2004 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 2:01.2 | 3.10 | Todd M O'Dea | NW300PS |
| Aug 7, 2004 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 2:00.1 | 2.10 | Todd M O'Dea | 3000CLHC |
| May 29, 2004 | 2 | — | 5 | — | — | Todd M O'Dea | QUA |
| Apr 17, 2004 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2:01.4 | 2.80 | Todd M O'Dea | NW2PMLT |
| Apr 5, 2004 | 6 | 8 | 7 | - | 13.60 | Todd M O'Dea | NW350PS |
Questions about this horse
What was China's Message's fastest mile?
2:00.1, on 2004-08-07. Harness times are read as minutes, seconds and fifths, so 2:00.1 is 2 minutes and the rest in seconds — the final fifth is the digit after the last point.
Which drivers sat behind China's Message?
Todd M O'Dea took every recorded drive — 8 starts.
Was China's Message a trotter or a pacer?
A trotter — every charted start is at the trot. A pacer moves its legs in lateral pairs, a trotter in diagonal pairs, and a horse is normally campaigned at one gait or the other.
What class did China's Message race in?
NW200PSL5, NW200PS, 3000CLHC and 5000CL OP, plus 7 other conditions. Each code is a set of eligibility conditions rather than a grade — the class pages explain what each one admitted.
What were the odds on China's Message?
The shortest price in the recovered charts is 2.10 to one. Odds are the closing figures printed on the chart, so they reflect what the pool decided at the off, not a forecast.
How often did China's Message go to the gate here?
The record shows 8 charted starts for China's Message, 2004 to 2010. The name appears on 16 race days in all once entry sheets are counted, because a horse can be drawn into a race and then scratched before it is run. That is what the programmes and result sheets hold, not necessarily the horse's full career: starts made at other tracks are outside this record.
Did China's Message ever win here?
Yes — 2 wins from 8 starts, a strike rate of 25%. Adding 0 seconds and 1 third, China's Message finished in the first three on 3 occasions.