Star Pointer

Star Pointer (1889–1910) was the first Standardbred race horse to complete a mile in less than two minutes. He was a pacer by Brown Hal out of Sweepstakes.

For the astronomical device, see Laser pointer.
Star Pointer with David McClary

Star Pointer was bred by Captain Henry P. Pointer of Spring Hill, Tennessee. His sire was Brown Hal and his dam was Sweepstakes. He began racing in 1894.

On August 28, 1897, driven by David J. McClary, he broke the 2 minute mile barrier at around 4:00 pm with quarter times of 30 sec, 29​3⁄4, 29​1⁄4, 30​1⁄4 for a 1:59​1⁄4 time. His record stood until 1903, when it was beaten to 1:59 by Dan Patch.

Star Pointer died of a stroke several weeks before the Christmas of 1910. His record was 22 victories and 4 seconds in 30 starts. He had a total of 60 wins in 79 heats and earnings of over $50,000 (equivalent to $1,370,000 in 2019). His remains were buried beneath the finish line of the Dean Racetrack in Palatine, Illinois but the exact location is now lost to history. He was inducted into the United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1954.[1]

References
  • Eli Schleifer With Robert Temple (9 April 2010). The History of Harness Racing In New England. Xlibris Corporation. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-4500-5472-0.
  1. "Star Pointer". Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 6, 2020.


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