The Record
Southwind Mountain appears in the surviving Plainridge programs across the 2004 season, 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 1:54.1, set on Tuesday, September 21, 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 LIFE SIGN out of MERCI, herself by ROYCE. 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 Southwind Mountain was entered in run to OPEN. 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 Southwind Mountain most often were Michael E Eaton (2), Kevin P Switzer (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 19, 2004 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1:57.1 | 1.50 | Michael E Eaton | OPEN |
| Sep 21, 2004 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 1:54.1 | 1.90 | Michael E Eaton | OPEN |
| Sep 14, 2004 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 1:55.1 | 3.40 | Kevin P Switzer | OPEN |
Questions about this horse
What was Southwind Mountain's fastest mile?
1:54.1, on 2004-09-21. 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.
Which drivers sat behind Southwind Mountain?
Michael E Eaton (2) and Kevin P Switzer (1). The figure in brackets is the number of drives.
Was Southwind Mountain 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 Southwind Mountain race in?
OPEN. 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 Southwind Mountain?
The shortest price in the recovered charts is 1.50 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 Southwind Mountain race at Plainridge?
The record shows 3 charted starts for Southwind Mountain, 2004. Those fall across 3 race days. 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 Southwind Mountain's win record at Plainridge?
Yes — 1 win from 3 starts, a strike rate of 33.3%. Adding 1 second and 0 thirds, Southwind Mountain finished in the first three on 2 occasions.