The Record
Pacific Sonata appears in the surviving Plainridge programs across 3 seasons, 2004 to 2009, 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 2 occasions altogether.
The fastest mile recorded here is 1:54.3, 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 comparison against the divisional marks misleading.
The winner's line in the chart gives the breeding as PACIFIC FELLA out of SOUTHWIND SONATA, herself by DRAGON'S LAIR. 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 Pacific Sonata was entered in run to NW450PS09, NW600PS, OPENHC, CLMHC, OPEN, BAYSTATE. 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 Pacific Sonata most often were Winston D Campbell (2), Ian Moore (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
| Date | Rc | Fin | PP | Time | Odds | Driver | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 17, 2009 | 5 | — | 2 | — | — | Wa Watson | NW450PS09 |
| May 13, 2008 | 5 | — | 4 | — | — | Wa Watson | NW600PS |
| May 4, 2004 | 11 | — | 7 | — | — | Winston D Campbell | OPENHC |
| May 4, 2004 | 7 | — | AE | — | — | Winston D Campbell | CLMHC |
| Apr 20, 2004 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1:54.3 | 15.30 | Winston D Campbell | OPEN |
| Apr 13, 2004 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 1:59.1 | 1.80 | Winston D Campbell | OPEN |
| Apr 6, 2004 | 7 | — | 6 | — | — | Ian Moore | BAYSTATE |
| Apr 6, 2004 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 1:56.3 | 2.90 | Ian Moore | OPEN |
Questions about this horse
What is the best time recorded for Pacific Sonata?
1:54.3, on 2004-04-20. Harness times are read as minutes, seconds and fifths, so 1:54.3 is 1 minute and the rest in seconds — the final fifth is the digit after the last point.
Who drove Pacific Sonata?
Winston D Campbell (2) and Ian Moore (1). The figure in brackets is the number of drives.
Was Pacific Sonata 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 Pacific Sonata entered under?
NW450PS09, NW600PS, OPENHC and CLMHC, plus 2 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 Pacific Sonata?
The shortest price in the recovered charts is 1.80 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 Pacific Sonata?
The record shows 3 charted starts for Pacific Sonata, 2004 to 2009. The name appears on 6 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 Pacific Sonata finish in these races?
Yes — 1 win from 3 starts, a strike rate of 33.3%. Adding 1 second and 0 thirds, Pacific Sonata finished in the first three on 2 occasions.