The Record
River Wind appears in the surviving Plainridge programs across the 2003 season, with 2 starts for which the official chart records a finishing position. None of those starts produced a win in the charts held here, though the horse reached the frame on 1 occasion.
The fastest mile recorded here is 2:03.3, set on Tuesday, November 18, 2003. 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 classes River Wind was entered in run to NW200PS, NW2PMLT, NW1PMLT. 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 Wind most often were James E Hardy (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 18, 2003 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2:03.3 | 5.30 | James E Hardy | NW200PS |
| Nov 8, 2003 | 9 | — | 2 | — | — | James E Hardy | NW2PMLT |
| Nov 1, 2003 | 2 | — | 5 | — | — | James E Hardy | NW2PMLT |
| Oct 25, 2003 | 2 | — | 8 | — | — | James E Hardy | NW2PMLT |
| Sep 27, 2003 | 3 | — | 3 | — | — | James E Hardy | NW1PMLT |
| Sep 20, 2003 | 2 | — | 3 | — | — | James E Hardy | NW1PMLT |
| Jul 26, 2003 | 4 | — | SCR | - | — | — | NW2PMLT |
| Jul 19, 2003 | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | James E Hardy | NW1PMLT |
| Jul 12, 2003 | 2 | — | 5 | — | — | TBA | NW1PMLT |
| Jul 5, 2003 | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | TBA | NW2PMLT |
| Jun 21, 2003 | 5 | — | 1 | — | — | James E Hardy | NW2PMLT |
Questions about this horse
Which drivers sat behind River Wind?
James E Hardy took every recorded drive — 1 start.
Was River Wind a trotter or a pacer?
A trotter — every charted start is at the trot. 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 River Wind race in?
NW200PS, NW2PMLT and NW1PMLT. 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 Wind?
The shortest price in the recovered charts is 5.30 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 often did River Wind go to the gate here?
The record shows 2 charted starts for River Wind, 2003. The name appears on 11 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 River Wind ever win here?
Not in the charts recovered here. River Wind shows 2 starts without a win, though there was 1 placing — 1 second and 0 third — in the first three.
What was River Wind's fastest mile?
2:03.3, on 2003-11-18. Harness times are read as minutes, seconds and fifths, so 2:03.3 is 2 minutes and the rest in seconds — the final fifth is the digit after the last point.