As of Aug. 18, 1995, Canadian harness racing had yet to witness a mile faster than 1:50 on any of its racetracks. Even a 1:50 flat mile wasn't on the record books. That all changed on Aug. 19, 1995, 30 years ago today.

Woodbine Racetrack hosted eliminations for the Canadian Pacing Derby that night, with a stout group of performers that included the likes of Historic, Village Jiffy, Riyadh and Pacific Rocket — whose 1:50.1 victories in Free-For-All events earlier that summer made him Canada's fastest to date.

Pacific Rocket was in fact the favourite in the first Canadian Pacing Derby elim on Aug. 19, and the speedster set fractions of :24.4 — the fastest first fraction ever paced in Canada — :53.4 and 1:22.1 with driver Tony Kerwood in tow before turning for home. 

Sitting the pocket was Ball And Chain, angled out for the stretch drive by Hall of Famer Doug Brown. The Joe Stutzman trainee charged home in :27.1 to collar Pacific Rocket and hold off the late bid of Ellamony (Mike Saftic) to win by more than two lengths with the teletimer reading 1:49.4 -- making him the first and only horse to pace faster than 1:50 at a Canadian racetrack.

"I had lots of horse left on the final turn and had a good feeling about it right then and there," Brown told the Toronto Star's Hans Grottke in reference the historic mile.

Though technically a two-turn oval like a one-mile track, Ball And Chain's mile was also harness racing's first sub-1:50 performance over a track that was not a standard one-mile track. The son of Albatross - Full Of Love was campaigned by trainer Stutzman, who co-owned the millionaire along with John Fielding's Fielding Equine and George Millar.

Since Ball And Chain's 1:49.4 mile on Aug. 19, 1995, a total of 1,401 races with sub-1:50 mile times have been paced in Canada. There will definitely be more of those in store this weekend as Woodbine Mohawk Park hosts eliminations for the 2025 Canadian Pacing Derby on Saturday, Aug. 23.

(Standardbred Canada)