Bulldog Hanover’s historic 1:45.8 mile in the $500,000 William Haughton Memorial at The Meadowlands last Saturday completed the ‘greatest speed streak in history’.
In a period of three weeks the four-year-old son of Shadow Play won a division of the Graduate Series in 1:47 on June 25, equalled the world record of 1:46 in winning a division of the Roll With Joe on July 2, paced in 1:46.2 in capturing the $250,000 Graduate Final on July 9 and set a new world mark of 1:45.8 on July 16.
Bulldog Hanover’s world record-breaking performance further underlines the sport’s incredible explosion of speed over the past six decades or so.
Since Adios Harry put up the first ever 1:55 mile in a race at Vernon Downs, New York in July 1955, the speed standard has been lowered by an amazing 9.2 seconds!
Twenty-five years after Adios Harry’s feat, Niatross became the world’s first sub 1:50 performer when he time-trialled at Lexington’s Red Mile in 1:49.2. And since 1993 there has been 31 performers clock miles in 1:47 or bettor.
Bulldog Hanover’s profile is an interesting one.
Bought for a modest $28,000 as a yearling at the Harrisburg Black Book sale in 2019, he began racing as a two-year-old winning four of his six starts and $188,242 in stakes and taking a mile record of 1:50.4.
As a three-year-old he won 10 of his 15 starts and $580,852, took a mark of 1:48 and was one of the stars of the rich Ontario Sires Stakes scheme.
After a stint at stud at Seelster Farms in Ontario, Bulldog Hanover resumed racing in May and has since chalked up seven wins from eight starts and earned $504,431 – the third highest amount in North America this year.
In all, he has 21 victories in 29 starts and $1.27 million in purses.
The Australian mark stands at 1:46.9, set when My Field Marshall won the 2018 Miracle Mile for Tim and Anthony Butt at Tabcorp Park Menangle (New South Wales), beating Jilliby Kung Fu by a head and Soho Tribeca by a half-neck in a famed race that also included Tiger Tara, Lennytheshark and Lazarus.
Relive it below:
The fastest mile at Tabcorp Park Melton (Victoria) was Lochinvar Art’s 1:48.6 win in the 2020 4YO Bonanza, when he went head-to-head with short-priced favourite Self Assured in one of the great modern showdowns.
Relive it below:
