With 11,034 career wins behind him, Brett Miller shows no signs in slowing down. “The younger horses keep me motivated,” he says. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Proud of the records and the legacy of another Miller named David, cousin Brett Miller has his sights set on a legacy of his own, the wins to make it relevant, and his sights set on racing until racing gives up on him.
Columbus, OH – Columbus-born Brett Miller won his 11,000th race a month ago (May 16) when he drove a four-year-old trotter named Vekna to victory at Eldorado Scioto Downs.
Now 11,000 win is a significant sum to the uninitiated in harness racing, but something to be expected in a sport with more Millers than you can shake a stick at…a name so steeped in tradition and legacy that 11,000 can easily get lost in the family shuffle.
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For you see, Brett Miller, 52, is the first cousin of David Miller, 61, who six months ago became the all-time leading driver in North America for earnings (in excess of $300 million), and owns more than 15,000 wins. And when Press Pros colleague Hal McCoy wrote about him earlier in the spring he put the elder Miller in the category of legends and icons with Jim Brown (football), Wilt Chamberlain (basketball), and Babe Ruth (baseball).
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David Miller’s professional nickname, by the way, is ‘Purple Jesus’, a reference to his purple colors and his sheer dominance in a sport where new legends pop up every day, challenging age-old reputations and legacies that go back as far as five hundred years.
Brett Miller, cousin of David, is well on his way. Born in nearby Lockbourne, Ohio, his commitment to horses and racing are nigh on to an identical path of his cousin, whose career has been marked by hard work, competitiveness, and respect for the sport. You want to make a living with something you like? Then you work at it. And if you’re impressed by 11,000 wins, consider that it’s taken Brett Miller 68,542 starts since his first pari-mutuel race back in 1991.
As of Tuesday night his win total had risen to 11,034. and his career earnings total has eclipsed $129, 385, 234 dollars. And true to the old adage about how you get to Carnegie Hall (practice, practice, practice), on Tuesday night he drove in all twelve races at Scioto Downs.
His totals for the year, thus far…1,255 starts, 163 wins, 143 seconds, 130 thirds, and earnings of $2,389,000. As it is written in the New Testament, “So that if any would not work, neither should he eat (2nd Thessalonians, 3:10)”. As far as we can tell, no one named Miller who’s making his living driving standardbreds is threatened by hunger.
“The younger horses keep me motivated,” says Brett Miller. “And as long as my health is good I’ll do it.”
Brett Miller is well on his way to legacy status, and understands that in a sport that rewards commitment, longevity and luck, you have to work at it. There’s no other way.
And true to his cousin’s statement about when he plans to hang up the reins (“they’ll have to pry the helmet out of my hands”), Miller simply smiled Tuesday and said, “As long as I can stay healthy, I’ll do it.”
Well of course!
But it takes a lot of patience to do anything for 68,000 starts and horses of all kinds, and sizes, and skills. One might wonder why there are no photos of Willie Shoemaker riding a Shetland pony, so the question was asked of Brett Miller…how do you know when you’ve got a good horse, after all those races and all those horses?
“At this point I pretty much know all the horses,” he answered. “But now the two-year-olds are just getting started so you don’t know them until they race a few times. But the older horses you pretty much know if you’re here every night – which ones are good.”
But on a particular night?
“If a horse has been racing well, and if they warm up good on a particular night, you can usually feel when they’re going to be good. Now you can’t tell if you have a horse that’s sick, and no one might know that until after the race, by the way it raced,” adds Miller. “But you can tell, usually, by the way they warm up as go how good they feel.”
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Both Millers grew up around Columbus and raced at Scioto when they were younger.
“Primarily here and at Lebanon,” Brett smiles. “I grew up in Lockbourne and David spent a lot of time in the Ashland area. That’s where his dad lived.”
Ask him about the exact number of races he’s won, and like Cousin Dave, he’s conscious of it only in general terms.
“I know I just hit 11,000, but I don’t know the exact number.”
Which prompts the other obvious question from the uninitiated: What keeps one motivated after so many races, and let’s face it…a lot of horses that aren’t legendary.
On May 16th Brett Miller claimed his 11,000th career win, driving a trotter named Vekna, at Eldorado Scioto Downs.
“For me it’s the young horses. That’s what keeps me motivated. If I didn’t drive the young stakes horses it would be tough to come in every night. If you’re only driving the older, aged, horses it would be very tough. Even though I’m 52 years old, I’ve done this now for forty years. I started when I was 12. So if it wasn’t for the young horses coming up I might not be coming in here.”
But there are young, exceptional horses (call it talent) coming on in a billion dollar industry. Times have long dipped beneath what was once thought of as fast, the 2:00 mile. Records are being crushed not unlike that of Roger Bannister’s, the first human to run a sub-four-minute mile. Brett Miller, like Dave, and other drivers named Miller are not about to go away. They’re going to stay and race.
“Like I said, as long as my health is good I want to stay,” he says, flashing a knowing smile.
Including a healthy schedule of this summer’s county fairs.
“Oh yeah, I’ve been doing Greenville the last three years because it’s a fun fair. Good people there and they’ve got good races.
“I’ve done Urbana the last two years, but I haven’t been to Troy in a while.”
And a concluding question…if horse racing is the sport of kings, how does one manage the disparity in terms of respect, money, promotion, and popularity between the thoroughbreds and standardbred racing? A question not unlike that of comparing the PGA and the PBA (Professional Bowlers Association)?
“For sure,” adds Miller. “It irks you. Because horse racing has been around for hundreds of years, and they raced with carts back in the days of Rome and Egypt. So when you see a maiden race for thoroughbreds, and compare that money to the biggest purse that we race for all night…it does suck.”
But it’s all relative to the amount of time and commitment you put in. Willie Shoemaker retired after 41 years having earned purses of $123, 375, 524 dollars. And he did not race in all twelve races.
Shoemaker won 8,833 races in his career.
Brett Miller has 11, 034. And he’s far from through.
As long as his health holds out, you know…..
He has a name to maintain, and a legacy to build.
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