'It means a lot': Tamworth Mini Trotters bound for Club Menangle

The 11-year-old harness racer has a long list of wins on her resume, dating back to her start in the sport when she was just five years old.

Mia is one of six junior Tamworth harness racers, along with nine ponies, who will take part in the Miracle Mile, scheduled to be held at Club Menangle on March 5, alongside Reba Brown, Cooper James, Morgan Coney, Ruby McMillan, and Tanner Brown.

Three of the six will race for the first time on the revered track, which Mia said is a daunting task.

"It gets a bit nerve-wracking when you have a lot of ponies," she said.

"It's very exciting, but the nerves get to me very bad. It is very different, it's a big trip."

In previous years, the Miracle Mile has been an exhibition race for the junior drivers to show off their skills and ponies in front of a big crowd.

This year, it has been upgraded to a group race, meaning the horses will be subject to handicaps, which are determined by the number of races they have won.

This, Mia's father Todd said, was "massive" for the kids involved.

"It's great for the kids that Club Menangle lets us come down there," McMillan said.

"It's a multi-million dollar night for them, and for the kids to be a part of it is massive. Some of these kids are as young as six or seven years old, and it's a Group One event night."

30 children in each age division have been invited to take part from across the country, eight of which come from NSW based on their performance in previous championships.

Dwayne Brown, father of Reba and Tanner, believes the Tamworth ponies and children are in with a good shot at winning their divisions.

"In the Inter Dominion, which was two months ago, we won two of the three divisions," Brown said.

"We've got some pretty handy ponies and pretty handy drivers in the club, so we're pretty lucky."

The opportunity to compete at a track as renowned as Menangle, McMillan hopes, will push the kids to strive for further honours within the sport.

"Being included in those big events for the kids, it means a lot for them," he said.

"The best part about Menangle is, they make the kids involved. When that presentation happens, they're in front of 20,000 people ... it's a big deal to the kids."

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