There is something about a mile race in harness racing. Ever since pacing and trotting began in the 1700s, the mile distance was the yardstick - or standard - around the world. In fact, the term standardbred came from the requirement of all horses to reach the ''standard'' of 2min 30sec for a mile in 1879. The Miracle Mile is the premier mile race ever since its inception in 1967. With the 2013 edition of the Miracle Mile set to be held at Menangle on Saturday night, Matt Smith looks back at five of the race's greats since its inception in 1967.
Robin Dundee
It is always a nice outcome when the Australians set up an event and the Kiwis come over and steal the spoils.
That is what happened with the great mare Robin Dundee in 1967. The New South Wales Harness Racing Club decided to add a race to the calendar at their inner-city Sydney track Harold Park which would capture the attention of the racing public. A two-lap dash of the 800m track was just the idea, and a bonus was up for grabs if a horse could break the track record of 2.01.2.
The 8yr-old mare - also notable for dead-heating with Jay Ar in the 1965 Interdominion final at Forbury Park - broke the record by pacing 1.59.1, winning by more than 20m over Tongue Twister. Her win blazed a trail for other New Zealand winners in the future like Young Quinn, Master Mood, Christopher Vance Iraklis, Holmes D G and Monkey King.
Locarno
Harold Park was a wonderful spectators' track by all accounts, but there have been fairer tracks in the world than the tight-turning half-mile circuit in the Sydney suburb of Glebe. Horses that drew out wide or settled last were up against it - especially over a mile.
So Locarno and his trainer-driver, Robin Butt, had plenty against them in 1980 when Butt made his run wide on the track as the field came around the last bend. For this wasn't just any Miracle Mile field - the other five runners were Paleface Adios. Pure Steel, Koala King, Lord Module and Frosty Imp. Put simply, there was not a mug among them, as all six of them had broken the two-minute barrier in their career.
Come the night though, as Locarno dashed down the outside of the short Harold Park straight to beat Pure Steel and a game Paleface Adios, the terrific field only paced the mile in 2.004, making Locarno's effort to come from the back even more impressive.
Chokin
Few horses have a story of redemption like Chokin. The son of Vance Hanover made his debut in the great race as a 3yr-old - the first 3yr-old to be invited to the elite race.
The race quickly became a disaster for Chokin, galloping at the start before collapsing from exhaustion at the top of the straight the final time. His driver, Brian Gath, said the occasion had been too much for the youngster - ''he was a frightened little boy''.
Two years later in 1993, Chokin was back in Sydney after sweeping all before him at New Zealand Cup week - but he was not favourite with the punters. That was left to Jack Morris, who was sensationally scratched just seconds before the start time with blood coming out of a nostril.
Chokin went on to win the 1993 edition in 2.00.0 and returned in 1994 to win in 1.56.2 - joining Westburn Grant as the only back-to-back winners in the race up to that point.
Christian Cullen
Hilton Donaldson's call as Christen Cullen crushed his rivals in the 1998 Miracle Mile still rings in the ears of any harness racing fan who has heard his commentary. But Christian Cullen's Miracle Mile story began a year earlier, when he was only the second 3yr-old after Chokin to be invited to the Sydney classic.
His tilt at the 1997 Miracle Mile came to an abrupt end 10 minutes prior to the race, when a pre-race swab revealed traces of a prohibited substance, forcing stewards to scratch the excitement machine. A botch-up which had allowed Christian Cullen's control fluid to be contaminated may have cleared his trainer, Brian O'Meara, but O'Meara vowed never to return to Harold Park after the error which stopped Christian Cullen from lining up.
O'Meara and Christian Cullen were back a year later shortly after Christian Cullen had completed the New Zealand Trotting Cup/Free-For-All double in Christchurch. And thank goodness they came back, as his driver, the late Danny Campbell, let Christian Cullen loose at the 400m mark to crush his rivals who included Tailamade Lombo and 1997 winner Our Sir Vancelot.
As Christian Cullen approached the finishing line, Donaldson implored the Harold Park crowd to ''hail the new Australasian champion'' as he recorded a time of 1.54.4 - although Campbell reckoned the star, who later went on to make his mark as a stallion, could have gone 2sec quicker if needed.
Lance Justice
Ever heard the phrase ''handlebars down'' in harness racing?
It could well be Lance Justice's middle name. The ex-South Australian, now based in Victoria, loves sending his horses to the front, or outside the leader. In Sokyola and Smoken Up, he has had two of the best horses to employ those tactics in the Miracle Mile. Justice reined Sokyola to an all-the-way 1.54.6 win in 2003 despite drawing wide in barrier 5, but had to watch from the sidelines due to suspension in 2004 as Jodi Quinlan led from the inside barrier to win in 1.54.9.
By 2010, the Miracle Mile had moved to the big Menangle track, perfectly suited for mile racing - and perfectly suited for Justice's next sprint star, Smoken Up. The New Zealand-bred pacer, who spent his early career in Cambridge with John and David Butcher, was tremendous sitting outside the legendary Queensland pacer Blacks A Fake in the 2010 mile, winning by half a head in an Australasian mile record time of 1.50.3.
Justice had to change plans in 2011 when Themightyquinn reached the lead ahead of him, and quickly swooped around to take over the lead, going on to win by a metre over Karloo Mick in 1.51.8.
- Note: Replays of all Miracle Miles can be found on YouTube by searching for the horse name, the race name and/or the year.
