The Record
True Laughter appears in the surviving Plainridge programs across 3 seasons, 2001 to 2004, 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 0 occasions.
The fastest mile recorded here is 1:59.3, set on Tuesday, October 23, 2001. 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 classes True Laughter was entered in run to FMCLM, FMNW200PS, QUA, 2000CL OP, 4000CLHC. 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 True Laughter most often were Ivan J Davies (1), 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
| Date | Rc | Fin | PP | Time | Odds | Driver | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 2004 | 9 | — | 3 | — | — | Greg D Bowden | FMCLM |
| May 1, 2004 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1:59.3 | 13.80 | Greg D Bowden | FMNW200PS |
| Apr 24, 2004 | 3 | — | 1 | — | — | Greg D Bowden | QUA |
| Nov 4, 2003 | 7 | — | 1 | — | — | Wallace R Watson | FMNW200PS |
| Jul 19, 2003 | 9 | — | 8 | — | — | Gregory J Annaloro | FMNW200PS |
| Jul 12, 2003 | 3 | — | 5 | — | — | Gregory J Annaloro | FMNW200PS |
| Jul 5, 2003 | 6 | — | 2 | — | — | John Hogan | 2000CL OP |
| Oct 23, 2001 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 1:59.3 | 15.10 | Ivan J Davies | 4000CLHC |
Questions about this horse
What class did True Laughter race in?
FMCLM, FMNW200PS, QUA and 2000CL OP, plus 1 other condition. 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 True Laughter?
The shortest price in the recovered charts is 13.80 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 starts does the record show for True Laughter?
The record shows 2 charted starts for True Laughter, 2001 to 2004. The name appears on 8 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 True Laughter finish in these races?
Not in the charts recovered here. True Laughter shows 2 starts without a win, though no placing inside the first three is recorded either.
What was True Laughter's fastest mile?
1:59.3, on 2001-10-23. Harness times are read as minutes, seconds and fifths, so 1:59.3 is 1 minute and the rest in seconds — the final fifth is the digit after the last point.
Which drivers sat behind True Laughter?
Ivan J Davies (1) and Greg D Bowden (1). The figure in brackets is the number of drives.
Was True Laughter 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.