PR Harness the record of the oval

Pacer

The Real Truth

6 charted starts at Plainridge, 2 wins, best mile 1:57.3.

The Record

The Real Truth appears in the surviving Plainridge programs across 2 seasons, 2003 to 2004, with 6 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 1:57.3, set on Monday, September 27, 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 direct comparison of raw times misleading.

The winner's line in the chart gives the breeding as ARIZONA JACK out of REALLY GOOD BAKER, herself by BAKER FIELD. 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 The Real Truth was entered in run to 2000CL, 2000CLHC, FMNW300PS, 3000CL, FMNW250PS, 3000CL OP. 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 The Real Truth most often were Ronald L Cushing (2), Michael L Cushing (2), Greg D Bowden (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

DateRcFinPPTimeOddsDriverClass
Nov 2, 2004 1 1 5 1:59.2 3.60 Ronald L Cushing 2000CL
Oct 25, 2004 1 1 1 1:59.3 1.10 Michael L Cushing 2000CLHC
Sep 27, 2004 5 3 3 1:57.3 8.70 Michael L Cushing FMNW300PS
Aug 7, 2004 9 4 1 1:58.3 4.80 Todd M Kolbe 3000CL
Apr 17, 2004 8 4 6 1:59.2 26.90 Greg D Bowden FMNW250PS
Apr 5, 2004 1 4 7 2:02.1 13.50 Ronald L Cushing 3000CL OP
Nov 8, 2003 4 5 Ralph H Andersen FMNW200PS

All horses in the record

Questions about this horse

What is the best time recorded for The Real Truth?

1:57.3, on 2004-09-27. Harness times are read as minutes, seconds and fifths, so 1:57.3 is 1 minute and the rest in seconds — the final fifth is the digit after the last point.

Who drove The Real Truth?

Ronald L Cushing (2), Michael L Cushing (2) and Greg D Bowden (1), plus 1 other driver taking the remainder. The figure in brackets is the number of drives.

Was The Real Truth 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 The Real Truth entered under?

2000CL, 2000CLHC, FMNW300PS and 3000CL, 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 The Real Truth?

The shortest price in the recovered charts is 1.10 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 The Real Truth go to the gate here?

The record shows 6 charted starts for The Real Truth, 2003 to 2004. The name appears on 7 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 The Real Truth ever win here?

Yes — 2 wins from 6 starts, a strike rate of 33.3%. Adding 0 seconds and 1 third, The Real Truth finished in the first three on 3 occasions.