| Class: | Group I |
| Horse Race: | Miracle Mile |
| Location: | Menangle Park Paceway, Sydney New South Wales, Australia |
| Inaugurated: | 1967 |
| Race Type: | Standardbred - Flat racing |
| Website: | Menangle Park Paceway |
| Distance: | 1609m (1 mile) |
| Track: | 1400m oval, left-handed |
| Qualification: | Three-year-olds and up |
| Purse: | AUD $1,000,000 (2020) |
The Miracle Mile is an Australian harness racing event for Standardbred pacers that was held at Harold Park Racetrack each November until 2008 when the race was switched to Menangle Park Paceway. Prize money has long been among that of Australia's leading harness races and has often included bonuses for speed.
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 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, 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).
In 2018, My Field Marshal, trained by Tim Butt and driven by Anthony Butt set the race record of 1.46.9 and in doing so, became the Southern Hemisphere record holder and the only standardbred horse to pace a mile in less than 1.47.0.
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. 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 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.
| Year | Horse | Driver | Time | Mile rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Leap To Fame | Grant Dixon | 1:48.3 | 1:48.3 |
| 2023 | Catch A Wave | Kate Gath | 1:48.8 | 1:48.8 |
| 2022 | King Of Swing | Luke McCarthy | 1:49.2 | 1:49.2 |
| 2021 | King Of Swing | Luke McCarthy | 1:49.2 | 1:49.2 |
| 2020 | King Of Swing | Luke McCarthy | 1:48.0 | 1:48.0 |
| 2019 | Spankem | Mark Purdon | 1:47.7 | 1:47.7 |
| 2018 | 1:46.9 | 1:46.9 | ||
| 2017 | Chris Alford | 1:49.2 | 1:49.2 | |
| 2016 | 1:47.5 | 1:47.5 | ||
| 2015 | Not run due to change in feature race schedule | |||
| 2014 | Dexter Dunn | 1:49.1 | 1:49.1 | |
| 2013 | James Rattray | 1:50.2 | 1:50.2 | |
| 2013* | Mat Rue | 1:50.5 | 1:50.5 | |
| 2012 |
| |||
| 2011 | Lance Justice | 1:51.8 | 1:51.8 | |
| 2010 | Lance Justice | 1:50.3 | 1:50.3 | |
| 2009 | Ricky May | 1:50.8 | 1:50.8 | |
| 2008 | Peter Rixon | 2:06.9 (1760m) | 1:56.0 | |
| 2007 | Not held due to Equine Influenza (E.I.) | |||
| 2006 | John McCarthy | 2:05.0 (1760m) | 1:54.3 | |
| 2005 | John McCarthy | 2:06.7 (1760m) | 1:55.9 | |
| 2004 | Jody Quinlan | 2:05.7 (1760m) | 1:54.9 | |
| 2003 | Lance Justice | 2:05.3 (1760m) | 1:54.3 | |
| 2002 | Harry Martin | 2:06.0 (1760m) | 1:55.2 | |
| 2001 | Steve Turnbull | 2:07.8 (1760m) | 1:56.9 | |
| 2000 | Barry Purdon | 2:05.3 (1760m) | 1:54.6 | |
| 1999 | Barry Purdon | 2:07.3 (1760m) | 1:56.4 | |
| 1998 | Danny Campbell | 2:05.1 (1760m) | 1:54.4 | |
| 1997 | Howard James | 2:06.3 (1760m) | 1:55.5 | |
| 1996 | Ricky May | 2:04.9 (1760m) | 1:54.2 | |
| 1996* | Kellie Kersley | 2:06.4 (1760m) | 1:55.6 | |
| 1995 |
| |||
| 1994 | 1:56.2 | 1:56.2 | ||
| 1993 | 2:00.0 | 2:00.0 | ||
| 1992 | Brian Gath | 1:56.7 | 1:56.7 | |
| 1991 | 1:57.9 | 1:57.9 | ||
| 1990 | Vic Frost | 1:55.6 | 1:55.6 | |
| 1989 | Vic Frost | 1:57.9 | 1:57.9 | |
| 1988 | Vin Knight | 1:58.1 | 1:58.1 | |
| 1987 | Chris Lewis | 1:57.7 | 1:57.7 | |
| 1986 (Dec) | Kevin Williams | 1:56.1 | 1:56.1 | |
| 1986 (Jan) | Chris Lewis | 1:56.9 | 1:56.9 | |
| 1985 | Barry Perkins | 1:56.7 | 1:56.7 | |
| 1984 | Joe Ilsley | 1:59.6 | 1:59.6 | |
| 1983 | Vin Knight | 1:57.7 | 1:57.7 | |
| 1982 | Michael Day | 1:56.9 | 1:56.9 | |
| 1981 | Kevin Newman | 1:59.2 | 1:59.2 | |
| 1980 | Robin Butt | 2:00.4 | 2:00.4 | |
| 1979 | Graeme Sparkes | 2:00.7 | 2:00.7 | |
| 1978 | Ted Demmler | 2:00.4 | 2:00.4 | |
| 1977 | Dudley Anderson | 1:59.5 | 1:59.5 | |
| 1976 | Colin Pike | 1:58.4 | 1:58.4 | |
| 1975 | 1:58.8 | 1:58.8 | ||
| 1974 | Tony Turnbull | 1:59.0 | 1:59.0 | |
| 1973 | Rex Hocking | 1:58.4 | 1:58.4 | |
| 1972 | Charlie Parsons | 2:00.6 | 2:00.6 | |
| 1971 | Jack Miles | 1:58.8 | 1:58.8 | |
| 1970 | Vic Frost | 1:59.0 | 1:59.0 | |
| 1969 | Jack Hargreaves | 1:59.2 | 1:59.2 | |
| 1968 | Kevin Newman | 1:58.6 | 1:58.6 | |
| 1967 | Robert Cameron | 1:59.0 | 1:59.0 | |