Star 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 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 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.
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.
Star Pointer was owned by James A. Murphy,(born in Rome New York August 11, 1846 and died January 24, 1920 in New York City)and was a resident of Chicago Illinois. He was famous throughout the United States as a thorough horseman and was a familiar figure on the tracks of the big meets. James A. Murphy organized the Central Grange and Stock Exchange. Utica Saturday Globe January 24, 1920 Obituary.