The Record
Chips Ablaze appears in the surviving Plainridge programs across 4 seasons, 2004 to 2009, with 4 starts for which the official chart records a finishing position. None of those starts produced a win in the charts held here, though the horse reached the frame on 1 occasion.
The fastest mile recorded here is 1:57.4, set on Monday, September 27, 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 five-eighths-mile oval like Plainridge a horse turns four times in a mile, which costs ground against the bigger tracks and makes direct comparison of raw times misleading.
The classes Chips Ablaze was entered in run to NW200PS, QUA, OPEN, CLMHC. 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 Chips Ablaze most often were James E Hardy (4). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 2009 | 2 | — | 6 | — | — | Mi Eaton | NW200PS |
| Mar 19, 2009 | 3 | — | 6 | — | — | Th Carlstrom | NW200PS |
| Nov 18, 2008 | 5 | — | 1 | — | — | Mi Eaton | NW200PS |
| May 13, 2008 | 11 | — | 2 | — | — | Gr Bowden | NW200PS |
| Aug 9, 2005 | 2 | — | 7 | — | — | Greg D Bowden | QUA |
| Oct 30, 2004 | 1 | — | 5 | — | — | James E Hardy | QUA |
| Oct 25, 2004 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 2:00.4 | 18.80 | James E Hardy | OPEN |
| Oct 18, 2004 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1:59.0 | 2.90 | James E Hardy | OPEN |
| Oct 11, 2004 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 2:01.4 | 8.80 | James E Hardy | OPEN |
| Sep 27, 2004 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 1:57.4 | 13.40 | James E Hardy | OPEN |
| Sep 13, 2004 | 5 | — | 3 | — | — | Greg D Bowden | CLMHC |
Questions about this horse
How did Chips Ablaze finish in these races?
Not in the charts recovered here. Chips Ablaze shows 4 starts without a win, though there was 1 placing — 0 second and 1 third — in the first three.
What was Chips Ablaze's fastest mile?
1:57.4, on 2004-09-27. Harness times are read as minutes, seconds and fifths, so 1:57.4 is 1 minute and the rest in seconds — the final fifth is the digit after the last point.
Which drivers sat behind Chips Ablaze?
James E Hardy took every recorded drive — 4 starts.
Was Chips Ablaze 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 Chips Ablaze race in?
NW200PS, QUA, OPEN and CLMHC. 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 Chips Ablaze?
The shortest price in the recovered charts is 2.90 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 many starts does the record show for Chips Ablaze?
The record shows 4 charted starts for Chips Ablaze, 2004 to 2009. The name appears on 11 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.