How a race runs at Red Shores

Each harness horse races at one of two gaits, the trot or the pace. A trotter moves its legs in diagonal pairs, left front together with right rear, and for the breed this is the more natural gait. Pacers swing both legs on one side at once, which is why they are called sidewheelers. They account for about 80% of harness horses. Most race in hopples, straps that tie the front and rear leg on one side together so the horse holds its gait.

Leaving the gait has a name of its own. A horse that switches to a run or a gallop has made a break. In the race program, that break appears as an X.

A horse has to earn a place in a betting race before it gets one. It must run a mile under a set time standard in a qualifier, and only then can it race for pari-mutuel wagers. At the start of each race, the official starter and the driver of the starting gate car work together.

Post position carries weight. In general, the closer a horse starts to the inside rail, the better its chance, and this holds most strongly on smaller tracks. A horse that cannot find room along the rail and has to race outside other horses is described as parked out.

The home stretch is the straight closest to the spectators, and the finish line sits on it. When two horses arrive at the line too close to call, officials examine a photo taken precisely at that line. A photo that still cannot split them produces a dead heat.

Judges serve as the referees of a race night, and an inquiry is their review of a race. At Charlottetown, a Judges Tower stands in the centrefield of the Driving Park. A video crew records every race, for viewing at the track and at simulcast locations. Regulation of the sport rests with the Maritime Provinces Harness Racing Commission (MPHRC), which covers Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.