The Record
Headmaster appears in the surviving Plainridge programs across 2 seasons, 2003 to 2004, with 8 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 3 occasions altogether.
The fastest mile recorded here is 1:53.4, set on Tuesday, August 17, 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 reading one mile against another misleading.
The winner's line in the chart gives the breeding as ARTSPLACE out of HAZLETON KAY, herself by JATE LOBELL. 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 Headmaster was entered in run to OPEN, NW500PS, NW300PS, NW200PS, NW400PS, 10000CLHC. 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 Headmaster most often were Elmer L Smith (5), James Marohn Jr (3). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 14, 2004 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1:54.3 | 2.50 | James Marohn Jr | OPEN |
| Aug 17, 2004 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1:53.4 | 2.30 | James Marohn Jr | NW500PS |
| Aug 10, 2004 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 1:54.3 | 2.80 | James Marohn Jr | NW300PS |
| May 4, 2004 | 4 | — | 8 | — | — | Elmer Louis Smith | NW200PS |
| Apr 20, 2004 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1:57.0 | 46.20 | Elmer L Smith | NW400PS |
| Apr 20, 2004 | 3 | — | AE | — | — | Elmer Louis Smith | NW300PS |
| Apr 13, 2004 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 2:00.4 | 31.10 | Elmer L Smith | 10000CLHC |
| Apr 6, 2004 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 2:00.1 | 25.50 | Elmer L Smith | NW350PS |
| Dec 1, 2003 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1:58.4 | 1.00 | Elmer L Smith | NW350PS |
| Nov 24, 2003 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 1:58.3 | 29.30 | Elmer L Smith | NW350PS |
| Nov 3, 2003 | 8 | — | 5 | — | — | Elmer Louis Smith | NW350PS |
| Sep 30, 2003 | 8 | — | 7 | — | — | Elmer Louis Smith | NW250PS |
| Sep 23, 2003 | 2 | — | 3 | — | — | Elmer Louis Smith | NW200PS |
| Sep 16, 2003 | 3 | — | 2 | — | — | Elmer Louis Smith | NW250PS |
Questions about this horse
Was Headmaster 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.
Which conditions was Headmaster entered under?
OPEN, NW500PS, NW300PS and NW200PS, plus 4 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 Headmaster?
The shortest price in the recovered charts is 1.00 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 starts does the record show for Headmaster?
The record shows 8 charted starts for Headmaster, 2003 to 2004. The name appears on 13 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.
How did Headmaster finish in these races?
Yes — 1 win from 8 starts, a strike rate of 12.5%. Adding 0 seconds and 2 thirds, Headmaster finished in the first three on 3 occasions.
What is the best time recorded for Headmaster?
1:53.4, on 2004-08-17. Harness times are read as minutes, seconds and fifths, so 1:53.4 is 1 minute and the rest in seconds — the final fifth is the digit after the last point.
Who drove Headmaster?
Elmer L Smith (5) and James Marohn Jr (3). The figure in brackets is the number of drives.