The Record
Island Vanessa appears in the surviving Plainridge programs across 3 seasons, 2003 to 2005, with 7 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 2 occasions altogether.
The fastest mile recorded here is 1:58.2, set on Monday, April 19, 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 direct comparison of raw times misleading.
The winner's line in the chart gives the breeding as DROP-OFF out of SWIFT STOCKINGS, herself by SONSAM. 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 Island Vanessa was entered in run to FMNW200PS, 3000CL OP, FMNW300PS, 3000CL, 4000CL OP, OPEN. 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 Island Vanessa most often were Ronald L Cushing (3), Greg D Bowden (2), Todd M Kolbe (1). 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
Questions about this horse
What class did Island Vanessa race in?
FMNW200PS, 3000CL OP, FMNW300PS and 3000CL, plus 9 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 Island Vanessa?
The shortest price in the recovered charts is 4.20 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 Island Vanessa go to the gate here?
The record shows 7 charted starts for Island Vanessa, 2003 to 2005. The name appears on 20 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 Island Vanessa ever win here?
Yes — 1 win from 7 starts, a strike rate of 14.3%. Adding 0 seconds and 1 third, Island Vanessa finished in the first three on 2 occasions.
What was Island Vanessa's fastest mile?
1:58.2, on 2004-04-19. Harness times are read as minutes, seconds and fifths, so 1:58.2 is 1 minute and the rest in seconds — the final fifth is the digit after the last point.
Which drivers sat behind Island Vanessa?
Ronald L Cushing (3), Greg D Bowden (2) and Todd M Kolbe (1). The figure in brackets is the number of drives.
Was Island Vanessa a trotter or a pacer?
Both gaits appear in this record: pace and trot. That is unusual and is worth reading as the chart wrote it rather than as a settled fact.