Star Pointer

For the astronomical device, see Laser pointer.

Star Pointer was the first standardbred race horse to complete a mile in less than two minutes. Bred in 1889, he was a pacer by Brown Hal out of Sweepstakes.

Driven by David J. McClary, Star Pointer began racing in 1894 and in 1897 lowered the record for the mile to 1:59¼. His record stood until 1903, when it was lowered to 1:59 by the legendary Dan Patch.

Star Pointer was bred by Captain Henry P. Pointer of Spring Hill, Tennessee. His sire was Brown Hal and his dam was Sweepstakes. He broke the 2 minute mile barrier on August 28, 1897 at around 4:00 pm with quarter times of 30 sec, 29³⁄₄, 29¹⁄₄, 30¹⁄₄ for a 1:59¹⁄₄ time.

Star Pointer died of 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.

Star Pointer's remains were buried beneath the finish line of the Dean Racetrack in Palatine, IL but his remains are now lost to history.