The harness racing world witnessed one fastest mile ever in 2026. Will there be a second such effort this year?
In May, Allegiant shocked the industry with her 1:48f mile at Solvalla Racecourse in the second heat of the 2026 Elitloppet. That mile time shaved four-fifths of a second off the 1:48.4 mark of Homicide Hunter to establish a new record for trotters in a one-mile dash.
Both On To Norway and Bourbonista S broke the 1:49 barrier on the trot earlier this year on a steamy Saturday night this past July in New Jersey. Bourbonista S matched the 1:48.4 mark of Homicide Hunter in the 2026 edition of the Six Pack at The Meadowlands on July 4, then On To Norway bested that mark later that night with a 1:48.3 effort in the Graduate final.
Given that unprecedented speed show, Standardbred Canada asked if fans of harness racing thought the 1:48 mark taken by Allegiant would stand up as the fastest trotting mile of the year. Current poll results indicate that 1:48 will be the fastest trotting time of 2026, with 61 per cent of respondents choosing Allegiant's mile time from the options offered.
- 1:48 - 61%
- 1:47.4 - 15%
- 1:47.3 - 15%
- 1:47.2 - 4%
- 1:47 - 3%
- 1:47.1 - 2%
Best Chip is the fastest pacer in North America this year, with three sub-1:47 miles as of press time including his 1:46.1 lifetime best at The Meadowlands in July and his 1:46.4 score this past Saturday (Sept. 5) in the Canadian Pacing Derby. All told, pacers have won faster than 1:47 this year on six occasions, with those miles clocked by Best Chip (three times), Captain Optimistic (twice) and Ervin Hanover (once). In 2025, pacers broke the 1:47 barrier a total of four times. The fastest of those miles — the 1:46.2 mark of Ervin Hanover and the 1:46.3 time from Louprint — came in October.
Have we seen the fastest mile of 2026 yet? Will the 1:45.4 mark of Bulldog Hanover be matched or broken? Let us know in the current SC web poll by clicking here.
(Standardbred Canada)