The Record
Real Sparks appears in the surviving Plainridge programs across the 2005 season, with 1 start 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 1:54.1, set on Monday, September 26, 2005. 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 4, h CAM'S CARD SHARK out of CAMBRIDGE UNITED, herself by TOPNOTCHER. 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 Real Sparks was entered in run to NW400PS, QUA. 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 Real Sparks most often were Ronald L Cushing (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2005 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1:54.1 | 1.90 | Ronald L Cushing | NW400PS |
| Aug 23, 2005 | 2 | — | 6 | — | — | Todd M Kolbe | QUA |
| Aug 16, 2005 | 1 | — | 5 | — | — | Todd M Kolbe | QUA |
Questions about this horse
Which drivers sat behind Real Sparks?
Ronald L Cushing took every recorded drive — 1 start.
Was Real Sparks 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 Real Sparks race in?
NW400PS and QUA. 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 Real Sparks?
The shortest price in the recovered charts is 1.90 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 Real Sparks race at Plainridge?
The record shows 1 charted start for Real Sparks, 2005. The name appears on 3 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 Real Sparks's win record at Plainridge?
Yes — 1 win from 1 start, a strike rate of 100%. Adding 0 seconds and 0 thirds, Real Sparks finished in the first three on 1 occasion.
What was Real Sparks's fastest mile?
1:54.1, on 2005-09-26. Harness times are read as minutes, seconds and fifths, so 1:54.1 is 1 minute and the rest in seconds — the final fifth is the digit after the last point.