The Record
Red Shirt Freshman 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 2 occasions altogether.
The fastest mile recorded here is 1:55.3, set on Tuesday, September 14, 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 reading one mile against another misleading.
The winner's line in the chart gives the breeding as TYLER'S MARK out of IN HEAVEN, herself by STORM DAMAGE. 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 Red Shirt Freshman was entered in run to 7500CL, AMATEUR, NW200PS, NW250PS, 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 Red Shirt Freshman most often were James E Hardy (2), Stephen F Zajchowski Jr (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 28, 2004 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1:57.2 | 4.40 | James E Hardy | 7500CL |
| Sep 14, 2004 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1:55.3 | 3.00 | James E Hardy | 7500CL |
| Aug 7, 2004 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 1:57.4 | .80 | Stephen F Zajchowski Jr | AMATEUR |
| May 4, 2004 | 4 | — | 4 | — | — | Greg D Bowden | NW200PS |
| Oct 14, 2003 | 8 | — | 4 | — | — | Shawn T Gray | NW250PS |
| Sep 30, 2003 | 12 | — | 8 | — | — | Bruce W Ranger | NW350PS |
| Sep 23, 2003 | 4 | — | 1 | — | — | Bruce W Ranger | NW350PS |
| Sep 16, 2003 | 3 | — | 1 | — | — | Gregory J Annaloro | NW250PS |
| Sep 2, 2003 | 12 | — | 1 | — | — | Greg D Bowden | NW250PS |
Questions about this horse
How often did Red Shirt Freshman go to the gate here?
The record shows 3 charted starts for Red Shirt Freshman, 2003 to 2004. The name appears on 9 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 Red Shirt Freshman ever win here?
Yes — 1 win from 3 starts, a strike rate of 33.3%. Adding 0 seconds and 1 third, Red Shirt Freshman finished in the first three on 2 occasions.
What was Red Shirt Freshman's fastest mile?
1:55.3, on 2004-09-14. Harness times are read as minutes, seconds and fifths, so 1:55.3 is 1 minute and the rest in seconds — the final fifth is the digit after the last point.
Which drivers sat behind Red Shirt Freshman?
James E Hardy (2) and Stephen F Zajchowski Jr (1). The figure in brackets is the number of drives.
Was Red Shirt Freshman 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 Red Shirt Freshman race in?
7500CL, AMATEUR, NW200PS and NW250PS, 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 Red Shirt Freshman?
The shortest price in the recovered charts is 0.80 to one. Odds are the closing figures printed on the chart, so they reflect what the pool decided at the off, not a forecast.