The Miracle Mile 2011 will be run over a distance of 1,609 metres and is worth a total of $500,000 in prize money.

Current favourite for the 2011 Miracle Mile is Smoken Up, who is looking to continue his impressive race record.

Smoken Up is paying odds of $2.50 at Luxbet, while second favourite I’m Themightyquinn is paying odds of $3.10.

Third favourite for the 2011 Miracle Mile is Franco Jamar, who is paying $6.50 at Luxbet, while Mr Feelgood is fourth favourite at $7.50.

The least backed runner in the 2011 Miracle Mile is presently Mega Alexander, who is paying $101 to win and $18.39 to place at Luxbet.

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 At around $10, Monkey King is the shortest price New Zealand horse in the field which kicks off today in Auckland.

  However he has only shown a shadow of his best since winning the New Zealand Cup  at Addington in November last year.

It shows just how strong the Australian runners are this year with the top four horse in the field all from Aussie soil.

 Only adding to the Australian strength is the inclusion of Miracle Mile winner Smoken Up as well as Blacks A Fake whihc defeated Monkey King in the interdominion final last year.

 ”It’s good to be in New Zealand — even though we’re not in Christchurch, it’s probably easier than going to Australia — but it’s just as tough. It’s probably tougher to be honest.”

Some say there is an advantage to New Zealand horses because of Alexandra Park’s right handed direction of travel, one of the few in Australasia.

For Monkey King though it doesn’t make a lot of difference.

“He’s not coping too well with the right handed way at the moment, but in saying that Ricky (his driver Ricky May) wasn’t overly disappointed with his last run, he got pushed off the track wide and he still went well.”

After drawing seventh for the first heat in a field with the likes of Smoken Up  and Mr Feelgood, Hill says he would be content with third place.

“We just want to get some points on the board so we’re in the final, where we really want to be,” he said.

“If we’re there we’ve got to be bang on our game and get bit of luck with draws. There’s a long way to go yet.”

Hill does have another runner, Power Of Tara which will race in the second heat.

Whilst being in career best form he will start form the second row which leaves Hill with hopes no higher than fourth or fifth.

“He lacks that turn of foot but if they go hard and he’s following the right horse and the gaps come late, that’ll be pretty good for him.”

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Smoken Up, Blacks A Fake, Melpark Major, Monkey King, Auckland Reactor and Kiwi Ingenuity are the current horses to have accepted their invitation to the $500,000 event.

Held at Menagle raceway, the Miracle Mile has attracted two of the biggest harness racers in Victoria with SEW Eurodrive Victoria Cup winner Melpark Major and Australia’s fastest pacer Smoken Up.

Although Melpark Major narrowly lost in last year’s event, trainer Alan Tubbs in confident that the past 12 months of training will give the horse a great chance to make up for last year’s disappointment.

Meanwhile Smoken Up is looking at his third invitation to the Miracle Mile and is in good form after placing third to Monkey King in the New Zealand Cup.

Trainer Lance Justice believes the horse is ideally suited to the race and if he can succeed, it will be Smoken Up’s first victory in a major Australasian harness race.

Either way, Justice is confident that with the event held at Menagle Park, the Miracle Mile may become the fastest race in Australian history.

Three-time Inter Dominion winner Blacks A Fake and New Zealand Cup champion Monkey King have also confirmed their place in the mile event however up until today Mark Purdon was unsure as to whether he would let Auckland Reactor contest in the event.

Champion driver Tony Herlihy confirmed the horse’s place in the Miracle Mile after revealing that he would take over from Purdon as driver to allow the trainer more time to focus on the $4 million horse’s training.

Herlihy has driven the horse once for his only victory in Australia however the successful New Zealand driver has won the Miracle Mile three times already with Christopher Vance (1991) and Chokin (1993,94).

Confirming their attendance at the event only today was the Kiwi Ingenuity team and trainer/driver Robbie Holmes is ecstatic about the mare’s prospects in the Miracle Mile.

As the fastest mare in Australasia, Kiwi Ingenuity stands a great chance during the race if she draws well in her first Miracle Mile.

Despite a torrid seventh place behind Monkey King in the New Zealand Cup, the fastest mare in the southern hemisphere proved her ability as a miler in last year’s 4 year old Diamond on Harness Jewels Day in New Zealand.

The mare ran a 1:52.1 mile over 1609m, a time which put her up there with Smoken Up.

While the New Zealand hopefuls will travel from Christchurch to Sydney on Thursday 26 November, the final places for the Miracle Mile will be decided after the running of Friday night’s Cordina Chicken Sprint at Harold Park.

The seven year old gelding made a big late finish in the 3200m event by beating Bettor’s Strike by a neck with Smoken Up finishing third.

For driver Ricky May this was his fourth win in the Cup after finishing first with Inky Lord (1989), Iraklis (1997) and Mainland Banner (2005).

Since its inauguration in 1904, the NZ Cup has only been won more than three times by a few drivers and May could not hold back his tears as he crossed the finish line.

With a pay check of $538, 860 for his win, owner Robert Famularo was very relieved with the victory after Monkey King was narrowly beaten in the 2007 race and came last in the 2008 race after falling ill.

Towards the end of the race, the North Canterbury-trained champion was supported by the entire Christchurch crowd who were standing on their seats cheering the gelding on.

However the race was not without problems as the protest siren sounded when Bettor’s Strike was accused of interfering with second favourite Kiwi Ingenuity at the turn.

Australian pacers Smoken Up and Karloo Mick lead the race for the first half of the event before the local talents proved to be too good for the duo.