The Record
River Gene appears in the surviving Plainridge programs across 4 seasons, 2002 to 2005, with 9 starts for which the official chart records a finishing position. 2 of those produced wins, and the horse finished in the first three on 3 occasions altogether.
The fastest mile recorded here is 1:56.1, set on Monday, May 9, 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 BIG GENE out of VANISH, herself by NANSEMOND. 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 River Gene was entered in run to 3000CL, NW200PS, CLM, BAYSTATE, NW350PS, 4000CL. 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 River Gene most often were Greg D Bowden (5), John A Di Stefano (1), Todd M Kolbe (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 2005 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1:56.1 | 9.60 | Todd M Kolbe | 3000CL |
| Aug 3, 2004 | 3 | — | SCR | - | — | — | NW200PS |
| May 4, 2004 | 8 | — | 6 | — | — | Greg D Bowden | CLM |
| Apr 20, 2004 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1:57.4 | 1.80 | Greg D Bowden | BAYSTATE |
| Apr 5, 2004 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 2:01.3 | 3.50 | Greg D Bowden | BAYSTATE |
| Dec 1, 2003 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 1:59.3 | 19.50 | Greg D Bowden | NW350PS |
| Nov 24, 2003 | 6 | 7 | 1X | 1:57.4 | 6.20 | Greg D Bowden | 4000CL |
| Nov 17, 2003 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1:57.3 | 14.60 | Greg D Bowden | 4000CL |
| Nov 3, 2003 | 7 | — | 4 | — | — | Greg D Bowden | CLM |
| Oct 14, 2003 | 7 | — | 1 | — | — | Greg D Bowden | 4000CL |
| Sep 30, 2003 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | Greg D Bowden | CLM |
| Sep 23, 2003 | 6 | — | 3 | — | — | Greg D Bowden | CLM |
| Sep 16, 2003 | 7 | — | 6 | — | — | Greg D Bowden | 3000CLHC |
| Sep 2, 2003 | 4 | — | 6 | — | — | Greg D Bowden | CLM |
| Jul 21, 2003 | 12 | — | 3 | — | — | Greg D Bowden | HOLINNCONS |
| Jul 14, 2003 | 5 | — | 8 | — | — | Daniel T Sumner | 8000CL |
| Jul 5, 2003 | 3 | — | SCR | - | — | — | NW200PS |
| Jun 21, 2003 | 7 | — | 2 | — | — | Daniel T Sumner | NW205PS |
| Oct 7, 2002 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 1:59.2 | 41.70 | John A Di Stefano | 5000CL |
Questions about this horse
What is the best time recorded for River Gene?
1:56.1, on 2005-05-09. 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 River Gene?
Greg D Bowden (5), John A Di Stefano (1) and Todd M Kolbe (1). The figure in brackets is the number of drives.
Was River Gene 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 River Gene entered under?
3000CL, NW200PS, CLM and BAYSTATE, plus 7 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 River Gene?
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 times did River Gene race at Plainridge?
The record shows 9 charted starts for River Gene, 2002 to 2005. The name appears on 19 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 River Gene's win record at Plainridge?
Yes — 2 wins from 9 starts, a strike rate of 22.2%. Adding 1 second and 0 thirds, River Gene finished in the first three on 3 occasions.