David Miller | |
---|---|
Nickname | 'The Buckeye', 'Purple Jesus' |
Occupation | Harness racing driver |
Born | Columbus, Ohio, United States | December 10, 1964
Career wins | 14,351 (as of 2024) |
Racing awards | |
Dan Patch Driver of the Year Award (2003, 2015, 2016) Harness Tracks of America Driver of the Year (2015, 2016) | |
Honours | |
U.S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame (2013) | |
Significant horses | |
Always B Miki, Magician, No Pan Intended, Kadabra, Perfect Sting, Test Of Faith |
David Miller (born December 10, 1964) is an American harness racing driver. Miller is one of North America's most successful drivers and was elected to the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in 2014.
David Miller was born December 10, 1964, in Columbus, Ohio. He grew up in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, in a harness racing family - his father, grandfather, uncle, nephew and cousin were all drivers. Miller saw his first Little Brown Jug when he was 12 years old. [1]
Miller guided No Pan Intended to the Pacing Triple Crown in 2003. He has won a number of Triple Crown races and Breeders Crown trophies. Miller is a five-time winner of the Little Brown Jug and one of only two drivers (Billy Haughton in 1974) to capture both the Jug and the Jugette in the same year. [1] He has won every individual Breeders Crown event.
On May 3, 2014, at the Meadowlands, Miller reached the 11,000 career victory milestone, becoming only the 8th North American driver to do so. [1]
During 2014, Miller also made his first appearance at Solvalla Racetrack in Stockholm, Sweden, in an elimination for the Elitloppet with world champion trotter Uncle Peter. [2]
In 2023, Miller reached 14,000 career wins. [3]
As of 2024, Miller is sixth all time in wins and second in earnings among North American harness drivers. [4]
The Little Brown Jug is a harness race for three-year-old pacing standardbred horses hosted by the Delaware County Agricultural Society since 1946 at the Delaware County Fairgrounds racetrack in Delaware, Ohio. The race takes place every year on the third Thursday after Labor Day.
The Pacing Triple Crown is a series of three major harness races for three-year-old Standardbred pacers. It consists of the Cane Pace, the Messenger Stakes, and the Little Brown Jug. It was inaugurated in 1956, one year after the Trotting Triple Crown. A horse that wins all three races becomes a Triple Crown winner and is presented with the Pacing Triple Crown trophy.
Niatross (1977–1999) was an American champion standardbred race horse that many believe was the greatest harness horse of all time.
The Cane Pace is a harness horse race for standardbred pacers contested annually since 1955. The race was first run as the William H. Cane Futurity in 1955 at Yonkers Raceway in New York. In 1956 the race joined with the Little Brown Jug and the Messenger Stakes to become the first leg in the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers.
Beach Towel was a Standardbred pacer who was named the 1990 American Harness Horse of the Year. He won 18 of his 23 starts with a fastest race mile of 1:50 and earnings of $2,091,860.
Catello R. Manzi is an American harness racing driver and trainer. Manzi's nickname is 'Catman'.
David M. Palone is an American harness racing trainer and driver.
Cam's Card Shark (1991-2020) is an American champion standardbred horse. His sire (father) was Cam Fella, who earned more than $2 million during his racing career, and his dam (mother) was Jef's Magic Trick, who only earned $28,340 during her career. He was named the 1994 American Horse of the Year by the United States Trotting Association and held the then-record of most money earned by a Standardbred horse in a single year. During his two years of competition until his retirement in 1994, Cam's Card Shark had 20 wins, earning more than $2.4 million.
Gallo Blue Chip is a Standardbred harness racing horse who earned $4.2 million in total winnings during his racing career. Gallo Blue Chip's sire was Magical Mike, and his dam was Camatross. Magical Mike's sire was Tyler B., and his dam was Racing Date; Camatross' sire was Albatross, and her dam was Bye Bye Camille.
Grant E. "Gene" Riegle was an American harness racing driver and trainer. He was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1992.
Bruce Nickells is an American harness racing driver and trainer. Nickells was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame on July 4, 2016.
Wiggle It Jiggleit is a champion American Standardbred racehorse. At the age of three, he won 22 of 26 starts including the Little Brown Jug and Meadowlands Pace, earning him the Dan Patch Award for 2015 Harness Horse of the Year. At age four, he repeatedly dueled with Always B Miki, to whom he finished second in the 2016 Horse of the Year balloting.
Michel "Mike" Lachance is a retired harness racing driver. Widely recognized as among the best drivers of all time, his outstanding career began in 1967 in Quebec City. At retirement, he had won 10,253 races and purses totalling $187,710,149. He has been inducted into both the United States and Canadian Harness Racing Halls of Fame.
The Breeders Crown Open Pace is a harness racing event for Standardbred pacers. It is one part of the Breeders Crown annual series of twelve races for both Standardbred pacers and trotters. The Open Pace for horses age four and older was first run in 1985. It is contested over a distance of one mile. Race organizers have awarded the event to various racetracks across North America.
The Breeders Crown Open Mare Trot is a harness racing event for three-year-old and older Standardbred mare trotters. It is one part of the Breeders Crown annual series of twelve races for both Standardbred trotters and pacers. First run in 1986, it is contested over a distance of one mile. Race organizers have awarded the event to various racetracks across North America.
Yannick Gingras is a Canadian harness racing driver. He is statistically one of the top drivers of all time with more than 8,000 wins and $230 million in earnings. He was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2022.
The Delaware County Fairgrounds racetrack is a half-mile dirt racing oval for harness racing events in Delaware, Ohio operated by the Delaware County Agricultural Society since 1946. The most important race run here is the Little Brown Jug. The premier event in the United States for three-year-old pacers, it is the third and final leg of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing series.
Montrell Teague is an American harness racing driver. He won the 2015 Dan Patch Rising Star Award at the age of 24 after winning the Little Brown Jug and Meadowlands Pace with 2015 Harness Horse of the Year Wiggle It Jiggleit. He is also noted for becoming the youngest driver to win a major stakes race at Hoosier Park in 2011 at the age of 20.
Joseph Cyril O'Brien was a Harness racing driver, trainer and owner who won the U.S. Trotting Triple Crown in 1955 and would be inducted into both the U.S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame and the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, as well as Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Noted for his quiet dignity and diplomacy, he is considered one of the greatest harness horsemen in history.
Bettor's Delight is a former champion American Standardbred race-horse and one of the World's greatest stud stallions.