Last Sunday Tabcorp Park in Menangle hosted a massive night of racing, the feature of which was race seven, the $500 000 Group 1 SEW-Eurodrive Miracle Mile where New Zealand pacer Monkey King claimed victory.
The Brendan Hill-trained Monkey King along with second placegetter Smoken Up ran a New Zealand quinella in Australasia’s premier harness racing event.
Seven-year-old Monkey King ($4.90) driven by Ricky May defeated the $4.10 favourite Smoken Up and Lance Justice by just a neck with Karloo Mick ($13.50) 2.3m back to finish a gallant third.
The victory was a rare and impressive achievement for the son of Sands A Flyin, as it came on the back of his wins in the New Zealand Cup and New Zealand FFA. And it was the second Miracle Mile win for May, having seen success with Iraklis back in 1996.
The black gelding held on to win by a slim margin after Lonestar Legend, Kiwi Ingenuity and Smoken Up all fought hard challenging the lead. But it was Monkey King who pulled out a sensational burst of acceleration on the straight in the third quarter and proved too strong for his rivals in the end.
Monkey King clocked a record-breaking 1:50.8 shattering Smoken Up’s previous mile record of 1:51.9.
It was the first time in the Miracle Mile’s 32-year history that the race was not run at Harold Park Raceway.
2009 SEW Eurodrive Miracle Mile Results:
Placing |
Horse |
Prizemoney |
Row & Barrier |
Trainer |
Driver |
Margin (m) |
| 1 |
MONKEY KING (NZ) |
$300 000 | Fr4 | B R Hill | R T May | - |
| 2 |
SMOKEN UP (NZ) |
$75 000 | Fr3 | L J Justice | L J Justice | NK |
| 3 |
KARLOO MICK |
$50 000 | Fr5 | B J Lew | G W Bennett | 2.30 |
| 4 |
KIWI INGENUITY (NZ) |
$25 000 | Fr2 | R D Holmes | R D Holmes | 3.60 |
| 5 |
MELPARK MAJOR |
$20 000 | Fr6 | A R Tubbs | A E Tubbgs | 5.30 |
| 6 |
AUCKLAND REACTOR (NZ) |
$10 000 | Fr7 | M Purdon | A G Herlihy | 8.20 |
| 7 |
BLACKS A FAKE |
$10 000 | Fr8 | N C Rasmussen | N C Rasmussen | 18.00 |
| 8 |
LONESTAR LEGEND (USA) |
$10 000 | Fr1 | P R J Fitzpatrick | B P Fitzpatrick | 18.10 |
Tabcorp racecourse was also host to an incredible eight other feature harness events. Below is a list of all the exciting races held at Menangle on Sunday along with the top three finishing horses.
Tabcorp Menangle Race Results Sunday November 29:
Race # |
Race Name |
Stakes |
Distance |
Winner |
Runner-up |
Third |
| 1 | Sky Racing Carnival of Miracles Trotters Stakes | $15 000 | 2300m | CILLAS EARL | THE WINDSURFER | SOLAR ACTIVE |
| 2 | Chokin Championship Final | $20 000 | 1609m | FOR A REASON | TWO EYE SEE | IM A HAPPY GIRL |
| 3 | Mount Eden Championship Final | $20 000 | 2300m | JUKEBOX MUSIC | DON FRANCO | PRESIDENTIAL LANE |
| 4 | Divisive Championship Final | $20 000 | 2300m | ARTIFACTOR | MAUDIE | SLIPPERY NEMO |
| 5 | Bohemia Crystal Free For All | $50 000 | 2300m | WESTERN CAM | SAUCY LEGEND | BE GOOD JOHNNY |
| 6 | Iraklis Championship Final | $20 000 | 2300m | SAINT WILLIAM | DOUGS PLACE | SLICK BROMAC |
| 7 | SEW Eurodrive Miracle Mile | $500 000 | 1609m | MONKEY KING | SMOKEN UP | KARLOO MICK |
| 8 | SEW Eurodrive Driving the Future Pace | $15 000 | 1609m | HOLY CAMP BOY | VIRAGE | COMET PRINCE |
| 9 | Tabcorp Park Menangle Pace | $15 000 | 1609m | KID COURAGEOUS | ITSOKAYTOBEFAKE | VINNIES FALCON |