The Record
Little Mitch A appears in the surviving Plainridge programs across 2 seasons, 2003 to 2004, with 3 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 1:56.1, set on Tuesday, April 20, 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 ARMBRO OPERATIVE out of SUNSET HAMILTON, herself by HAMILTON R H. 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 Little Mitch A was entered in run to CLMHC, 20000CL, 20000CLHC, NW350PS, NW500PS, GUYSMITH. 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 Little Mitch A most often were Robert W Sumner (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2004 | 7 | — | 6 | — | — | Robert W Sumner | CLMHC |
| Apr 20, 2004 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1:56.1 | 9.40 | Robert W Sumner | 20000CL |
| Apr 13, 2004 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 1:58.1 | 2.80 | Robert W Sumner | 20000CLHC |
| Apr 6, 2004 | 11 | — | 7 | — | — | Robert W Sumner | NW350PS |
| Apr 6, 2004 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 1:57.3 | 50.10 | Robert W Sumner | 20000CL |
| Sep 23, 2003 | 3 | — | 7 | — | — | Robert W Sumner | NW500PS |
| Sep 16, 2003 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | Robert W Sumner | NW500PS |
| Sep 1, 2003 | 7 | — | 2 | — | — | Robert W Sumner | GUYSMITH |
Questions about this horse
What were the odds on Little Mitch A?
The shortest price in the recovered charts is 2.80 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 Little Mitch A?
The record shows 3 charted starts for Little Mitch A, 2003 to 2004. The name appears on 7 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 Little Mitch A finish in these races?
Yes — 1 win from 3 starts, a strike rate of 33.3%. Adding 0 seconds and 0 thirds, Little Mitch A finished in the first three on 1 occasion.
What is the best time recorded for Little Mitch A?
1:56.1, on 2004-04-20. Harness times are read as minutes, seconds and fifths, so 1:56.1 is 1 minute and the rest in seconds — the final fifth is the digit after the last point.
Who drove Little Mitch A?
Robert W Sumner took every recorded drive — 3 starts.
Was Little Mitch A 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 Little Mitch A entered under?
CLMHC, 20000CL, 20000CLHC and NW350PS, plus 2 other conditions. Each code is a set of eligibility conditions rather than a grade — the class pages explain what each one admitted.