The Record
Happy Town Abbey appears in the surviving Plainridge programs across the 2004 season, with 5 starts for which the official chart records a finishing position. One of those produced a win, and the horse finished in the first three on 1 occasion altogether.
The fastest mile recorded here is 1:58.1, set on Tuesday, August 3, 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 comparison against the divisional marks misleading.
The winner's line in the chart gives the breeding as BE HAPPY JACK out of TOWN ABBEY, herself by BIG TOWNER. 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 Happy Town Abbey was entered in run to FMNPO, FMNW300PS, 4000CL OP, FMNW200. 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 Happy Town Abbey most often were Loyal S Pratt (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 25, 2004 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 2:00.3 | 50.80 | Loyal S Pratt | FMNPO |
| Oct 18, 2004 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1:59.0 | 53.80 | Loyal S Pratt | FMNW300PS |
| Oct 11, 2004 | 10 | — | SCR | - | — | — | FMNW300PS |
| Aug 10, 2004 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1:58.1 | 8.00 | Loyal S Pratt | 4000CL OP |
| Aug 3, 2004 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1:58.1 | 15.30 | Loyal S Pratt | FMNW200 |
Questions about this horse
Was Happy Town Abbey a trotter or a pacer?
A pacer — every charted start is at the pace. 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 Happy Town Abbey race in?
FMNPO, FMNW300PS, 4000CL OP and FMNW200. 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 Happy Town Abbey?
The shortest price in the recovered charts is 8.00 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 times did Happy Town Abbey race at Plainridge?
The record shows 5 charted starts for Happy Town Abbey, 2004. Those fall across 5 race days. 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.
What is Happy Town Abbey's win record at Plainridge?
Yes — 1 win from 5 starts, a strike rate of 20%. Adding 0 seconds and 0 thirds, Happy Town Abbey finished in the first three on 1 occasion.
What was Happy Town Abbey's fastest mile?
1:58.1, on 2004-08-03. Harness times are read as minutes, seconds and fifths, so 1:58.1 is 1 minute and the rest in seconds — the final fifth is the digit after the last point.
Which drivers sat behind Happy Town Abbey?
Loyal S Pratt took every recorded drive — 4 starts.