Miller celebrates Futurity win, and banner meet, at Hollywood
Miller celebrates Futurity win, and banner meet, at
Hollywood
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Trainer Peter Miller, who sent out favored COMMA TO THE TOP (Bwana Charlie) to victory in Saturday's CashCall Futurity (G1) at Hollywood Park, pinched himself Sunday to make sure the biggest victory of his career was not a dream. "It's amazing that these races don't take much out of him," Miller said after a fifth straight victory by the Florida-bred gelding. "He's holding his weight well. He looks 100 percent and ate up good last night." Miller, a 44-year-old Los Angeles native, said he had not yet formulated 2011 plans with co-owners Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum and Kevin Tsujihara but the Kentucky Derby (G1) is the long range goal. The $375,000 prize Comma to the Top earned Saturday eliminated any worries about the horse having enough earnings to qualify. "Winning this race was definitely a career highlight, and the drama made it even more special," Miller said, referring to the 28-minute delay caused by the winner, who lost a rear shoe in the mud on the way to the paddock and needed to have it replaced. Once the race started, jockey Corey Nakatani guided Comma to the Top to a 1 3/4-length victory from just off the pace in a driving rainstorm under the lights. "It was a crazy, crazy day, but at the end, the best horse won," the conditioner added. "We were all in the same boat."
Miller picked Comma to the Top out of an Ocala two-year-old sale in April from the Clyde Rice consignment and purchased him for $22,000.
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"I thought he would be a nice $40-50,000 claiming horse," Miller mused.
"Obviously, he has surpassed that."
After graduating from high school in the mid-1980's, Miller broke into racing as a groom for Hall of Fame trainer Charlie Whittingham. He kiddingly called
himself The Bald Beagle, for the bald head he shares in common with Whittingham,
who was nicknamed The Bald Eagle. Both have now won the Futurity once;
Whittingham accomplished the feat with Temperate Sil in 1986.
Miller said he celebrated the victory Saturday night with family and friends
at the Cafe Pierre, near the Manhattan Beach home he moved into this fall.
The trainer relocated his 30-horse stable from his long-time base at San Luis
Rey Downs to Hollywood Park for the first time this fall and has reaped major
dividends with a banner meet.
"The meet has been just incredible," he said. "Everything has hit the board
too. My horses have been 80 percent in the money. It's been one of those magical
meets. I've been winning the photos, the horses have been running, and I've been
getting good rides. Everything has just fallen into place."
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