The Record
Idyl River Chris appears in the surviving Plainridge programs across 5 seasons, 2003 to 2009, with 4 starts for which the official chart records a finishing position. 2 of those produced wins, and the horse finished in the first three on 4 occasions altogether.
The fastest mile recorded here is 1:57.4, set on Monday, October 11, 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 an oval of five-eighths of a mile 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 winner's line in the chart gives the breeding as SEA BATTLE out of SEAFIELD DREAM, herself by PROBE. 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 Idyl River Chris was entered in run to NW450PS, 3000CLHC, OPEN, NW500PS, NW700PS, NW400PS. 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 Idyl River Chris most often were Paul H Magan (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 17, 2009 | 8 | — | 1 | — | — | Pa Magan | NW450PS |
| Nov 17, 2009 | 2 | — | 4 | — | — | Pa Magan | 3000CLHC |
| Nov 28, 2008 | 10 | — | 1 | — | — | Pa Magan | OPEN |
| Nov 18, 2008 | 3 | — | 8 | — | — | Pa Magan | NW500PS |
| May 13, 2008 | 2 | — | 6 | — | — | Pa Magan | OPEN |
| Jul 24, 2007 | 5 | — | 4 | — | — | P. Magan | NW500PS |
| Jul 17, 2007 | 9 | — | 7 | — | — | P. Magan | NW700PS |
| Jun 19, 2007 | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | P. Magan | NW400PS |
| Nov 6, 2004 | 9 | — | 8 | — | — | Paul H Magan | NW400PS |
| Oct 18, 2004 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2:00.0 | .90 | Paul H Magan | 5000CL OP |
| Oct 11, 2004 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1:57.4 | 7.70 | Paul H Magan | NW7PMLT |
| Sep 27, 2004 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2:00.0 | 1.10 | Paul H Magan | NW5PMLT |
| Nov 18, 2003 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 2:01.4 | 5.40 | Paul H Magan | NW200PS |
| Oct 25, 2003 | 2 | — | 3 | — | — | Paul H Magan | NW2PMLT |
Questions about this horse
What was Idyl River Chris's fastest mile?
1:57.4, on 2004-10-11. 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 Idyl River Chris?
Paul H Magan took every recorded drive — 4 starts.
Was Idyl River Chris a trotter or a pacer?
Both gaits appear in this record: trot and pace. That is unusual and is worth reading as the chart wrote it rather than as a settled fact.
What class did Idyl River Chris race in?
NW450PS, 3000CLHC, OPEN and NW500PS, 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 Idyl River Chris?
The shortest price in the recovered charts is 0.90 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 times did Idyl River Chris race at Plainridge?
The record shows 4 charted starts for Idyl River Chris, 2003 to 2009. 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.
What is Idyl River Chris's win record at Plainridge?
Yes — 2 wins from 4 starts, a strike rate of 50%. Adding 1 second and 1 third, Idyl River Chris finished in the first three on 4 occasions.