The Record
Matt's Dude appears in the surviving Plainridge programs across 2 seasons, 2003 to 2004, with 9 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 1:55.1, 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 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 reading one mile against another misleading.
The winner's line in the chart gives the breeding as MATT'S SCOOTER out of LAUGH A DAY, herself by MOST HAPPY FELLA. 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 Matt's Dude was entered in run to NW400PS, NW300PS, NW500PS, 2200, NW350PS. 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 Matt's Dude most often were Brad D Irvine (9). 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 19, 2004 | 7 | — | 4X | - | 12.50 | Brad D Irvine | NW400PS |
| Sep 28, 2004 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 1:58.0 | 5.10 | Brad D Irvine | NW300PS |
| Sep 21, 2004 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 1:57.1 | 21.20 | Brad D Irvine | NW400PS |
| Sep 14, 2004 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 1:57.4 | 2.80 | Brad D Irvine | NW400PS |
| Sep 7, 2004 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 1:56.1 | 8.70 | Brad D Irvine | NW400PS |
| Aug 17, 2004 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 1:55.1 | 16.40 | Brad D Irvine | NW500PS |
| May 4, 2004 | 3 | — | 8 | — | — | Brad D Irvine | NW300PS |
| Apr 20, 2004 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 1:57.1 | 4.70 | Brad D Irvine | NW400PS |
| Apr 10, 2004 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1:58.1 | .70 | Brad D Irvine | 2200 |
| Sep 23, 2003 | 3 | — | 8 | — | — | David L Ingraham | NW500PS |
| Sep 16, 2003 | 1 | — | 5 | — | — | David L Ingraham | NW500PS |
| Sep 2, 2003 | 11 | — | 9 | — | — | David L Ingraham | NW350PS |
| Apr 8, 2003 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 2:01.4 | 34.80 | Brad D Irvine | NW400PS |
Questions about this horse
What was Matt's Dude's fastest mile?
1:55.1, on 2004-08-17. Harness times are read as minutes, seconds and fifths, so 1:55.1 is 1 minute and the rest in seconds — the final fifth is the digit after the last point.
Which drivers sat behind Matt's Dude?
Brad D Irvine took every recorded drive — 9 starts.
Was Matt's Dude 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 Matt's Dude race in?
NW400PS, NW300PS, NW500PS and 2200, plus 1 other condition. 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 Matt's Dude?
The shortest price in the recovered charts is 0.70 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 Matt's Dude?
The record shows 9 charted starts for Matt's Dude, 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 Matt's Dude finish in these races?
Yes — 1 win from 9 starts, a strike rate of 11.1%. Adding 1 second and 1 third, Matt's Dude finished in the first three on 3 occasions.