The Miracle Mile History

[Messenger]

This thread will be about the history of the MM in a long build up to the next MM

[eliteblood]

Hi Kevin,

Here is a link to a you tube replay

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUyn6TheYhA

[aussiebreno]

Id say because its all in the introduction so no point rehashing it all. Theres probably actually more in the introduction about Robin Dundees than most others.

[Amlin]

Not very clear but here is how the Canberra Times reported the big race the next morning.

[Messenger]

Having now read the Introduction of Harnessing a Miracle by Bob Cain I now know all about the first MM and thought I might share a few facts in point form. Who knows maybe I will keep it going for all the MM's. (Thanks again to Brendan for pointing to the Introduction - see other thread for explanation). I know many of you know all of this and much more (please add) but we have more recent followers who may find it interesting

- The '67 MM was the first sponsored harness race in Australia
- It was the brainchild of CEO Len Smith (now honoured with the Len Smith Mile)
- It was held in March, a time slot to which it is to return
- Robin Dundee collected $12,500 including $1,000 for breaking HP Tk Rec and $4k for < 2.00
- The HP Tk Rec for a race had been held by Mineral Spring since 1956 at 2.01.2
- The use of additional incentive prizes was to change the pattern of racing
- Blue lights every ¼ mile that flashed after 30 secs created interest
- The crowd of 20,287 was the biggest for the season
- Total holdings for the night were not far short of a million
- The splits were 28.5, 29.5, 30, 30 after a war up front resulting in a MR of 1.59
- Robin Dundee 4/5 fav sat 5th before bursting clear to win by 25yds
- Robert Cameron her driver carried a stopwatch
- Robin Dundee was a 9yo mare (not 8 as stated in H.A.M)
- The race caught America's attention and all the field bar Angelique eventually went to US
- Robin Dundee also won a NZ Oaks, a NZ FFA, an Interdom Final, and an Auckland Cup.
- Robin Dundee is the dam of star and sire Genghis Khan and her dam line is still strong to this day
- Cherry Blossom, Robin Dundee's dam is also the 4th dam of super mare Blossom Lady
- Hal Tryax, Robin Dundee's sire has full sisters Roya and Queenly McKinney crossed 3x3

Gathered principally from Harnessing a Miracle by Bob Cain

[Danno]

Having now read the Introduction of Harnessing a Miracle by Bob Cain I now know all about the first MM and thought I might share a few facts in point form. Who knows maybe I will keep it going for all the MM's. (Thanks again to Brendan for pointing to the Introduction - see other thread for explanation). I know many of you know all of this and much more (please add) but we have more recent followers who may find it interesting

- The '67 MM was the first sponsored harness race in Australia
- It was the brainchild of CEO Len Smith (now honoured with the Len Smith Mile)
- It was held in March, a time slot to which it is to return
- Robin Dundee collected $12,500 including $1,000 for breaking HP Tk Rec and $4k for < 2.00
- The HP Tk Rec for a race had been held by Mineral Spring since 1956 at 2.01.2
- The use of additional incentive prizes was to change the pattern of racing
- Blue lights every ¼ mile that flashed after 30 secs created interest
- The crowd of 20,287 was the biggest for the season
- Total holdings for the night were not far short of a million
- The splits were 28.5, 29.5, 30, 30 after a war up front resulting in a MR of 1.59
- Robin Dundee 4/5 fav sat 5th before bursting clear to win by 25yds
- Robert Cameron her driver carried a stopwatch
- Robin Dundee was a 9yo mare (not 8 as stated in H.A.M)
- The race caught America's attention and all the field bar Angelique eventually went to US
- Robin Dundee also won a NZ Oaks, a NZ FFA, an Interdom Final, and an Auckland Cup.
- Robin Dundee is the dam of star and sire Genghis Khan and her dam line is still strong to this day
- Cherry Blossom, Robin Dundee's dam is also the 4th dam of super mare Blossom Lady
- Hal Tryax, Robin Dundee's sire has full sisters Roya and Queenly McKinney crossed 3x3

Gathered principally from Harnessing a Miracle by Bob Cain

Kev,
I have 2 copies of the book do you want one? sorry but I only have one copy of "another ten miracles" so you can't have that one.:)

[Messenger]

It is possible to find dozens of Inter final replays at the following site just by clicking on a decade
http://www.harness.org.au/inter/stars.htm

HRV also has replays of their major races from the last decade
http://www.hrv.org.au/hrv/index.cfm/general/honour-rolls/races/

Does anyone know if there is such a thing for MMs anywhere?
I cannot find it on the NSW site

[Amlin]

A YouTube user named Magictoliver has posted hundreds of videos in YouTube, many to do with Harold Park and they include a lot of Miracle Mile replays


https://www.youtube.com/user/Magictoliver/videos


Or you can get 'em all here on the Menangle site - through the old Harold Park site


http://www.haroldpark.com.au/mmile_replays.html

[Messenger]

Kyle you are FANTASTIC - Thank you Thank you

This is where to find a replay of every MM folks

http://www.haroldpark.com.au/mmile_replays.html

Just click on the year

[Messenger]

The fantastic link that Kyle provided has a menu box top right with the last alternative being Results which tells you everything you could want to know
so I won't be boring you with any more history here. If you want to go directly to the results write up it is

http://www.haroldpark.com.au/mmile_results.html

[Messenger]

Robin Dundee won the first MM in 1967 as an 8yo and in doing so posted the first sub 2 minute mile in Australia

She won by 25yds

She won many features as her History shows but she could also said to be unlucky in how often she ran second.

https://classicfamilies.azurewebsites.net/CF/History.aspx?HorseID=10016819&SE=TimeAmountClass&AD=ASC

She was sired by Hal Tryax who was an Axworthy-line stallion. Incredibly this whole George Wilkes line of Hambletonian has died out. The more recents that some may remember were Noodlum and Knights Dream

One of Robin Dundee's foals Genghis Khan (Meadow Skipper) is part of history in the evolution of the race mile, taking Niatross's 1980 mark of 1.52.1 down to 1.51.4 in 1982
(those times would be 1.52.2 to 1.51.8 in Oz measurements)
Genghis Khan had some success as a sire