Peter Miller

Trainer Peter Miller has been fined $10,000 and suspended seven days by the Santa Anita Park stewards for violating the California Horse Racing Board's rule against program training. The ruling was made pursuant to a stipulated agreement and mutual release with the CHRB. As previously reported, the CHRB filed a complaint earlier this week alleging that Miller remained involved in the daily training of horses after they had been turned over to and listed under the name of his former assistant Ruben Alvarado. Alvarado was named in a related complaint,...

The debate over whether to increase the amount of time between Triple Crown races has been a contentious one over the last few weeks, spurred by the decision of GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike's connections to pass on the GI Preakness S. and making a run at the Triple Crown. Randy Moss, the co-lead analyst for NBC Sports' coverage of the Triple Crown, has been out in front on the pro-spacing side, saying that expecting horses to race three times in five weeks is an anachronism in modern racing....

The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) has filed a complaint against trainer Peter Miller, alleging that he was involved in the daily training of horses after they had been turned over to and put under the name of his former assistant Ruben Alvarado. Alvarado has also been charged in a separate complaint involving the same allegations. In November, Miller announced that he was taking a "temporary hiatus" from training to spend "more time with my family, focus on overall health and wellness, and pursue other interests." The announcement created speculation...

Peter Miller, who has not started a horse since Nov. 28, will make his return Sunday at Churchill Downs when he sends out Respect the Code (Honor Code) in the eighth race. Miller announced last fall that he was taking a break from training, explaining in a press release that he wanted to "spend more time with his family, focus on overall health and wellness, and pursue other interests." At the time, the bulk of his stable was moved over to his former assistant Ruben Alvarado. In a text message,...

The flag has already been planted midway through Santa Anita's current Winter-Spring meet, and prevailing headwinds are still driven by worries over field size. The following table is an analysis of the average field sizes during the first 15 weeks of the Santa Anita Winter meet--a timeframe excluding Santa Anita Derby weekend--over the past five years. In tandem with the above numbers, total handle for the meet thus far--including last weekend--decreased by 1% between last year and this, a number that comes out to nearly $8 million. That's with one...

Trainer Peter Miller has been fined $5,000 and assessed one half (1/2) point in accordance with the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) multiple medication violations rule as a result of Mr. Dougie Fresh (Ghostzapper) testing positive for phenylbutazone after working at San Luis Rey Downs on Sept. 13, according to a Los Alamitos board of stewards ruling Sunday. Phenylbutazone--more commonly referred to as just "bute"--is a class 4, category C drug. This constituted Miller's third class 4 medication violation in California in 365 days. On Sept. 2, Miller was fined...

Tezzaray (GB) turned an eventful trip into a nose win in Del Mar's GIII Jimmy Durante S., staying undefeated in two U.S. starts since moving stateside this fall. Promptly bumped leaving the gate, the tidy chestnut was undeterred, angling over to the rail to sit midpack. Comfortable stalking in fourth through early fractions of :23.41 and :48.52, she was third going into the turn before suddenly checking off the heels of Awake At Midnyte. Tezzaray took back, angled out and around that rival, then split horses and commenced a tenacious...

Trainer Phil D'Amato saddles a pair of live contenders in Saturday's GIII Jimmy Durante S. at Del Mar. Making one start in Europe before joining D'Amato's barn, Helens Well (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) broke her maiden at Del Mar Aug. 15 and finished second in both the Sept. 5 Juvenile Fillies Turf S. in SoCal and the Oct. 3 Surfer Girl S. at Santa Anita. She enters off an eighth-place finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf S. Nov. 5. D'Amato also saddles Virulente (Fr) (Al Wukair {Ire}),...

When Nov. 29 rolls around, trainer Peter Miller, one of the most numerically powerful stables on the Southern California circuit, will embark upon a temporary hiatus from training to spend "more time with his family, focus on overall health and wellness, and pursue other interests," according to press release issued Thursday evening. While Miller's assistant, Ruben Alvarado, is expected to take over the everyday running of the barn, Miller will take on an advisory position and maintain his role as an owner, the release states. "I have been working virtually...

The Peter Miller trained Mr. Dougie Fresh (Ghostzapper) tested positive for phenylbutazone--a class 4, penalty category C drug--after the horse worked at the San Luis Rey Downs training center Sept. 19, according to a California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) complaint dated Sept. 26. Miller, who did not request a split sample in this case, is scheduled to appear before the Santa Anita board of stewards at an unspecified date. This is Miller's third overage offense in 365 days. On April 10, Miller was fined $500 after Hembree (Proud Citizen) tested...

Jockey Abel Cedillo earned his second Los Alamitos riding title while trainer Peter Miller topped the trainer standings as the Los Angeles County Fair meet concluded Sunday. Cedillo also led the standings during the 2020 LACF Winter season. Miller finished the LACF season with seven wins, one more than Steve Miyadi. Hall of Famer Bob Baffert was third with five. The title was the sixth Miller has either shared or won outright at Los Alamitos since daytime Thoroughbred racing returned in 2014. All-sources handle for the LACF season showed a...

Two-time GI Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Doug O'Neill got fined $2,000 for a pair of methocarbamol positives at Santa Anita Park in May and June, one in a race and the other in a workout. According to a Sept. 6 ruling published within the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) weekly stewards' report for Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, the two cases were combined into one because "O'Neill was not aware of the first medication positive [May 30] when the second complaint [June 3] was served by CHRB enforcement." Methocarbamol is a Class...