The West coast is obviously the best place to find California-bred race horses. As is the case with all areas that feature facilities for the sport of kings, winning in the backyard in which you were born is always good. For one California-based trainer, recent times have been great for the home team.
Peter Miller has enjoyed many measures of success in the game of Thoroughbred racing. Growing up the sport, this Los Angeles native became the first trainer to win back-to-back Breeders’ Cup races with the same horses when he conditioned both Roy H (Sprint) and Stormy Liberal (Turf Sprint) to winner’s circle glory in 2017 at Del Mar and 2018 at Churchill Downs. With nine training titles at Del Mar, over 1400 career wins and $78 million in purse earnings, he obviously has been synonymous with success.
Part of Miller’s success has been cultivating California born talent. A recent run has demonstrated his prowess at handling horses birthed in the Golden State. On December 10, Miller sent Madison Rae to post in the Soviet Problem, a stakes race restricted to California bred or sired two-year-old fillies. Taking a field of five gate to wire at Los Alamitos, this daughter of Pavel posted the upset at odds of 9-1. Exactly one week later, Miller scored with Last Call London in the King Glorious Stakes, also a Cal-bred restricted race at Los Alamitos. Icing his California-bred cake, Miller took the grade 1 La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita on December 26 with, you guessed it, a Cal-bred. Daddysruby was super impressive in taking a talented field of eight others gate-to-wire at odds of 6 to 1.
“I love the Cal-breds because I am a Cal-bred myself”, says Miller. “I have always taken a lot of pride with having local horses. I think everyone knows, it pays to be a Cal-bred.”
Off to a good start at the Santa Anita meet with his second La Brea winner (Heir Kitty 2013), this hard worker is looking forward to even more Miller time, especially with his California-breds.
Daddysruby and jockey Juan Hernandez, right, battle Big Pond (Lanfranco Dettori), outside, to the wire to win the Grade I $300,000 La Brea Stakes Tuesday, December 26, 2023 at Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, CA.
©Benoit Photo
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