The Record
Wizardofthewillow appears in the surviving Plainridge programs across 3 seasons, 2002 to 2004, with 13 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 4 occasions altogether.
The fastest mile recorded here is 1:58.1, set on Tuesday, August 3, 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 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 GONIF out of DEBONAIR, herself by BERRY HANOVER. 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 Wizardofthewillow was entered in run to NW300PS, NW200PS, PATRIOT, NW250PS. 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 Wizardofthewillow most often were Brad D Irvine (5), James E Hardy (2), Shawn T Gray (2). 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 6, 2004 | 8 | — | 5 | — | — | TBA | NW300PS |
| Oct 11, 2004 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 2:02.0 | 22.10 | Winston D Campbell | NW200PS |
| Sep 21, 2004 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 1:59.2 | 26.90 | James E Hardy | NW300PS |
| Sep 14, 2004 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1:59.0 | 11.20 | Brad D Irvine | NW300PS |
| Sep 7, 2004 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1:58.4 | 3.40 | Brad D Irvine | NW200PS |
| Aug 10, 2004 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1:58.3 | 3.30 | Brad D Irvine | NW200PS |
| Aug 3, 2004 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 1:58.1 | 11.30 | Brad D Irvine | NW200PS |
| May 4, 2004 | 13 | — | 2 | — | — | David J Marshall | NW300PS |
| Apr 19, 2004 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2:00.0 | 22.00 | Greg D Bowden | PATRIOT |
| Apr 5, 2004 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 2:04.0 | 13.20 | David J Marshall | PATRIOT |
| Nov 24, 2003 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2:00.1 | 29.50 | Shawn T Gray | NW200PS |
| Nov 17, 2003 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 2:01.0 | 80.10 | Shawn T Gray | NW200PS |
| Nov 4, 2003 | 10 | — | 1 | — | — | Andrei V Guidette | NW200PS |
| Sep 23, 2003 | 2 | — | 7 | — | — | Greg D Bowden | NW200PS |
| Sep 16, 2003 | 3 | — | 9 | — | — | Brad D Irvine | NW250PS |
| Jul 19, 2003 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1:59.2 | 29.10 | Brad D Irvine | NW250PS |
| Jul 5, 2003 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 2:02.0 | 6.20 | James E Hardy | NW200PS |
| Sep 24, 2002 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 2:00.0 | 85.30 | Michael E Eaton | NW250PS |
Questions about this horse
What class did Wizardofthewillow race in?
NW300PS, NW200PS, PATRIOT and NW250PS. 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 Wizardofthewillow?
The shortest price in the recovered charts is 3.30 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 many times did Wizardofthewillow race at Plainridge?
The record shows 13 charted starts for Wizardofthewillow, 2002 to 2004. The name appears on 18 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.
What is Wizardofthewillow's win record at Plainridge?
Yes — 1 win from 13 starts, a strike rate of 7.7%. Adding 1 second and 2 thirds, Wizardofthewillow finished in the first three on 4 occasions.
What was Wizardofthewillow's fastest mile?
1:58.1, on 2004-08-03. Harness times are read as minutes, seconds and fifths, so 1:58.1 is 1 minute and the rest in seconds — the final fifth is the digit after the last point.
Which drivers sat behind Wizardofthewillow?
Brad D Irvine (5), James E Hardy (2) and Shawn T Gray (2), plus 3 other drivers taking the remainder. The figure in brackets is the number of drives.
Was Wizardofthewillow 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.