Club Menangle set to host Australasia’s richest sprint race

The three-week Sky Racing Carnival of Miracles concludes this Saturday (Feb .4) with the running of the $1 million Garrards Miracle Mile, Australia’s premier Harness Racing event. 

The Grand Circuit event, the Garrards Miracle Mile, is the culmination of an exciting 15-day carnival period. The final field of elite pacers will take on Australasia’s richest 1609 metre Speed Pacing Championship with a $1 million purse. 

Team McCarthy, led by training and driving combination of Belinda and Luke McCarthy will be out to make history on Saturday night vying for four consecutive wins. It will be stiff competition for star pacers Expensive Ego and Spirit of St Louis against an impressive field including favourite Honolua Bay, boom pacer Captain Ravishing, and Chariots of Fire winner Catch A Wave, competing for the coveted title. 

Also adding to the racing excitement is the $200,000 Group One Slingsby Holdings NSW Derby Final over 2400m, Yabby Dam Farms 2023 Yearlings Hammerhead Trotters Mile of $125,000 over 1609m, Ainsworth Australian Light Horse Free For All of $100,000, $50,000 Shaw & Mason Sapling Stakes for two-year-old pacers and $25,000 Condell Park Produce Waratah Final. Future stars of the track will also be on show with three divisions in the Mini Miracle Mile. 

Off the track racegoers can expect delicious food trucks, live music, and roving entertainment. Wiradjuri woman Olivia Fox will perform trackside with a rendition of My Island Home and the Australian National Anthem in both Indigenous language and English. Olivia has previously performed with the likes of Guy Sebastian, William Barton, Baker Boy, Delta Goodrem and Dami Im. Menangle Country Club will host the official After Party from 10.30pm and is open until late. Complimentary return shuttle buses are available from Macarthur Train Station and hotels in the Campbelltown, Narellan and Camden areas.  

The Club will also pay tribute to three times winning Miracle Mile runner King of Swing with the renaming of the Macarthur Pavilion and a special presentation on track. Club Menangle officials will be joined by award- winning duo trainer Belinda McCarthy and driver Luke McCarthy to officially announce the unveiling of the King of Swing Pavilion. 

Club Menangle’s Chief Executive Officer Bruce Christison said “After a couple of years impacted by flooding and Covid restrictions we are excited to invite Macarthur and South-West Sydney locals to join our harness racing fraternity and experience Australasia’s premier harness race meeting, the Garrards Miracle Mile. This is an opportunity for locals to witness world-class racing and facilities nestled in the picturesque hills of Macarthur. The day offers something for everyone from free entry, live music, pop-up bars and food trucks, to an array of affordable hospitality dining packages.”  

General Admission entry is free with hospitality packages available starting from $90. Hospitality options include the premier Miracle Mile Restaurant and Tempus Two Marquee. The packages will feature uninhibited racetrack views, dedicated wait service, premium beverage packages and delicious food. Places are limited. 

For complete race entries, click here.

From Club Menangle