The Record
Speedy Saturn appears in the surviving Plainridge programs across 4 seasons, 2004 to 2008, with 9 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 6 occasions altogether.
The fastest mile recorded here is 1:56.4, 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 4, m LIFE SIGN out of GIBBER GABBER, herself by JATE LOBELL. 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 Speedy Saturn was entered in run to FMNW200PS, NW300PS, FMNW300PS, NW2PMLT, NW4PMLT, NW3PMLT. 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 Speedy Saturn most often were James W Smallwood (5), Edward A Blash (3), Michael E Eaton (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 12, 2008 | 10 | — | 7 | — | — | TBA | FMNW200PS |
| Jul 17, 2007 | 5 | — | 5 | — | — | E. Blash | NW300PS |
| May 9, 2005 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1:56.4 | 3.00 | Michael E Eaton | FMNW300PS |
| Nov 6, 2004 | 2 | — | 7 | — | — | James W Smallwood | NW2PMLT |
| Oct 25, 2004 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 1:58.3 | 5.90 | James W Smallwood | NW4PMLT |
| Oct 9, 2004 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1:58.2 | 1.60 | James W Smallwood | NW3PMLT |
| Sep 25, 2004 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1:58.1 | 1.60 | James W Smallwood | NW3PMLT |
| Sep 11, 2004 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1:57.1 | 7.10 | James W Smallwood | NW4PMLT |
| Aug 10, 2004 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 1:57.4 | 59.30 | James W Smallwood | FMNW200PS |
| May 1, 2004 | 1 | 6 | X3X | - | 1.50 | Edward A Blash | NW1PMLT |
| Apr 17, 2004 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2:01.1 | 14.20 | Edward A Blash | NW1PMLT |
| Apr 10, 2004 | 1 | 7 | 4X | 2:05.3 | 9.80 | Edward A Blash | NW1PMLT |
Questions about this horse
What is the best time recorded for Speedy Saturn?
1:56.4, on 2005-05-09. Harness times are read as minutes, seconds and fifths, so 1:56.4 is 1 minute and the rest in seconds — the final fifth is the digit after the last point.
Who drove Speedy Saturn?
James W Smallwood (5), Edward A Blash (3) and Michael E Eaton (1). The figure in brackets is the number of drives.
Was Speedy Saturn 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 Speedy Saturn entered under?
FMNW200PS, NW300PS, FMNW300PS and NW2PMLT, plus 3 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 Speedy Saturn?
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 starts does the record show for Speedy Saturn?
The record shows 9 charted starts for Speedy Saturn, 2004 to 2008. The name appears on 12 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.
How did Speedy Saturn finish in these races?
Yes — 1 win from 9 starts, a strike rate of 11.1%. Adding 5 seconds and 0 thirds, Speedy Saturn finished in the first three on 6 occasions.