WHEN Tony 'AD' Turnbull's stable star Hondo Grattan poked his head in front in his final strides to take out the 1974 Miracle Mile, it was a huge moment.
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Not only did Hondo Grattan beat out a quality field which included Keith Pike's Paleface Adios, but he claimed an $11,500 purse for winning and a $5,000 bonus for breaking two minutes.
That edition of the Miracle Mile still rates as one of the best in the history of the feature, but plenty has changed since those days.
Now instead of racing at Harold Park, the feature is staged at Menagle. Now the list of winning drivers also includes Steve Turnbull and Mat Rue. Now the purse for the Miracle Mile is a whopping $1 million.
And now, the Miracle Mile is set to be one of two $1 million races staged each season by Harness Racing NSW.
It was revealed on Tuesday by HRNSW chairman Rod Smith that the new rich race would be added to the program.
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The race, which will be funded from negotiated arrangements between the racing industry and Tabcorp, will be the culmination of a series of races across NSW into the rich final.
It not only potentially means the Bathurst Paceway could stage one of the lead up races, but it provides the chance for trainers, drivers and owners in the Western Districts with a chance to feature in one of the richest finals in the southern hemisphere. They won't need a superstar runner either.
"We have injected funding into established feature races and carnivals and now I am proud to say we are giving participants an opportunity to race for high stakes with horses which are not at the top level of our code of racing," Smith said.
"The board has a demonstrated ethos to cover the state where we can and the concept for this race provides for participants in the country, provincial and metropolitan areas, including as far away as Broken Hill to compete in their own back yards.
"All the owners and trainers really need is the horse good enough to win the $1 million race. The board will sign off on the race conditions shortly after which time Harness Racing New South Wales will make more detailed announcements."
