It was hard to work out which miracle was more impressive.
There was the miracle that he actually won. It was not so shocking because so many people expected it, demanded it.
The punters who backed him down to $1.60 could not see him beaten but in reality the fact Christian Cullen was even in the Auckland Cup last night was a miracle.
The wear and tear of a gutbusting campaign should have got to him by now.
He may have a grown-ups body but he is still only a 4-year-old. After the punishing efforts at Ashburton, Addington and in Sydney he could have been excused for wanting a lie down. His body and his brain should have been hurting.
But he turned up and turned it on. The was a miracle.
Then there was the miracle of how he won.
Starting from 10m, Christian Cullen pressed forward early and found himself parked outside the toughest old horse in the race in Sharp And Telford.
Young driver Danny Campbell against champion Tony Herlihy. Young athlete against rugged brawler.
For a few seconds Sharp And Telford held the champ. The champ started to pull, the punters started to worry. Miracles were needed.
Then the favourite changed gear and he was where he belongs - in front.
That could have been the end of the race but Cullen was almost as stirred up as the crowd. He started to yank at Campbell's arms, wasting valuable energy that could not be there later when he tried to repel the pretenders to his crown.
"He really started to tug, probably the hardest he ever has for me," said Campbell.
"But I knew he would still have something left at the finish. He always does."
Campbell was right, like a man trusting his best friend not to let him down.
While Cullen should have pulled himself to his first defeat of the year, he found more and more. And then some more. Racing logic says you can't do that.
Another miracle.
But the greatest miracle at Alexandra Park last night was not on the track. It was in the stands.
Harness racing often lives in the shadow of galloping, which lives in the shadow of just about every other major sport in New Zealand.
But this is racing's time of the year, and last night was harness racing's night.
The crowd did not stop cheering from the time the champion arrogantly strolled
onto the track until he sauntered off it, reputation intact.
The cheered at the start, they cheered louder when he reached the lead, they cheered when Holmes D G came calling at the bell.
And they saved the biggest cheer for the 400m when Christian Cullen started to etch his name on the Cup. To become only the second horse to win five Grand
Circuit races in a season - although he did it is just 49 days.
People who may never have been to a harness meeting cheered a horse they have never seen again like he actually was an All Black.
A horse became a hero for people who do not even like horses. For one night, harness racing ruled and Alexandra Park was the place to be.
That was Christian Cullen's greatest miracle.
Horse Racing: Christian Cullen soars with the legends
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