The Miracle Mile is an Australian harness racing event for Standardbred pacers that was held at

Harold Park Racetrack Harold Park Paceway was a harness racing track in Forest Lodge, New South Wales, in use from 1890 to 2010. It was a half-mile track (804.5 metres) but was just 739 metres in circumference until some changes in its later years. Races at the tra ...

each November until 2008 when the race was switched to

Menangle Park Paceway Tabcorp Park, Menangle, is a harness racing track operating in Menangle Park, New South Wales, Australia. The New South Wales Harness Racing Club conducts meetings at the Paceway. The New South Wales Harness Racing Club trading as Club Menangle T ...

. Prize money has long been among that of Australia's leading harness races and has often included bonuses for speed.

History

The race was held twice in 1986 due to a change of dates from January to November/December, and again in 1996 due to the postponement of the 1995 race caused by track redesign and construction. When the new track opened in 1996 the race distance was changed from one mile (1609m) to 1760m. The 2007 running was abandoned due to the

Equine Influenza Equine influenza (horse flu) is the disease caused by strains of influenza A that are enzootic in horse species. Equine influenza occurs globally, previously caused by two main strains of virus: equine-1 (H7N7) and equine-2 (H3N8). The OIE now cons ...

outbreak. The 2012 race was also delayed until April 2013 due to renovations. Since 2009, the race has been run at Menangle Park, once again at the metric mile distance. The 1400m track length and improved design allowed for faster times. The first winner at the new circuit was New Zealander Monkey King in a track record time of 1:50.8. In 2010 Victorian pacer

Smoken Up Smoken Up is an Australian champion Standardbred race horse bred in New Zealand. He was the first pacer outside North America to record a mile in under 1:50. He was known as Trigger. Early racing career Smoken Up began racing in New Zealand a ...

, who ran 2nd the previous year, won the race and broke the Australasian record in at time of 1:50.3 (Smoken Up has subsequently lowered that record to 1:48.5 in the Len Smith Mile, also at Menangle). The fastest ‘miles’ at Harold Park were 1:55.6 by Westburn Grant in 1990, 1:56.1 by Master Mood and 1:56.2 by

Chokin Chokin is a New Zealand Standardbred racehorse who was notable in winning the New Zealand Trotting Cup, which is New Zealand's most prestigious horse race. Chokin is also one of the few horses to have won Harold Park Paceway's prestigious Miracl ...

. When the race distance became 1760 metres the fastest mile rates were 1:54.2 by Iraklis and 1:54.4 by Christian Cullen. The Miracle Mile proved elusive to legendary reinsman Brian Hancock who trained one winner in Our Sir Vancelot but due to suspension was unable to drive the three-times Inter Dominion champion on the night of his win in 1997. As set out below there have been several dual winners of the flying mile - notably Smoken Up, Be Good Johnny, Sokyola, Holmes DG, Chokin, Westburn Grant and Village Kid. Champion drivers Lance Justice, Vic Frost and

Tony Herlihy Anthony Grant Herlihy (born 4 October 1958) is a New Zealand driver and trainer of standardbred racehorses. He was associated with many champions and has been a leading driver of harness horses in New Zealand. In 2014, he was inducted into the N ...

have won the race three times each. Kellie Kersley became the first female driver to win the race in 1996. The oldest horse to win the race was 12-year-old Double Agent. The running of the 2022 Miracle Mile was forced to be delayed for a week from the 5th March to the 12th March after the track suffered damage due to a heavy downpour of rain between the Ainsworth Free For All (Group 1) and the Miracle Mile.

Winners list

External links

Miracle Mile homepage
Harness races in Australia Australasian Grand Circuit Races {{horseracing-race-stub

History

Winners list

See also

External links