Last December, Allen Miller did something a little out of character.

“A lot of times, I don’t buy two-year-olds that didn’t race because I don’t know their backstory,” said Miller, of Millersburg, Ohio. “But with this one, I actually knew the backstory and decided to give him a chance.”

The horse he is referring to is three-year-old In Range gelded trotter Deer In Range. Consigned by breeder Aaron Yoder at Miller’s farm, the horse was deemed too small to race last year.

“They broke him and jogged him for a couple weeks and then turned him out for the year,” Miller said.

However, as Deer In Range was being prepped to race as a three-year-old, Miller liked what he saw. When he discovered the horse was being sold at the North American Standardbred Mixed Sale in Mount Hope, he intended to buy him.

“He just had a really nice way of going and was a very calm-natured horse with a good attitude. That caught my attention, and then I sat behind him and really liked him,” Miller said. “That’s when I decided to buy him, and it turned out to be a good buy.”

That “good buy” has done nothing but win this year, going four-for-four in overnight races at Northfield Park with a career-best mark of 1:58.2. Miller said Deer In Range has improved in every start, and he credits driver Chris Lems in aiding the horse’s development.

“I told Lems that I just wanted to teach him how to be a good racehorse, and he has done a really good job teaching him how to race and getting him to the winner’s circle,” he said. “The last race is when he really figured it out — he knows what he’s supposed to do now.”

Next up for Deer In Range is the first leg of the Buckeye Stallion Series on Saturday (May 9) at Eldorado Scioto Downs. The 16-race card includes five $20,000 USD divisions of sophomore colt trotters and six $20,000 USD divisions of sophomore colt pacers. Despite drawing the far outside post position, Deer In Range opened as the 2-1 favourite in the fifth division of colt trotters. For his part, Miller isn’t counting him out.

“The nine hole can be brutal, but we’ll have to wait and see,” he said. “He’s very versatile — he’s been raced on the front, and he likes chasing down horses. Hopefully he’ll be on his A game.”

Jackie Jann, driven by trainer Wilbur Yoder, opened as the 9-2 second choice and will leave from post two.

Sophomore Colt Trotters Preview 

First Division: Time Has Come (Tyler Smith) is the 5-2 morning line favourite and will leave from post six alongside 3-1 second choice Mister Moolah (Chris Page) in post seven. Trained by Miles Wollam, Time Has Come has one win and one second in two seasonal starts.

Second Division: Lane Holding Court (Jeff Nisonger) opened as the 2-1 favourite and will leave from post six next to 3-1 second choice Royal Enterprise (Page) in post seven. A Mark Winters trainee, Lane Holding Court has one win in three seasonal starts.

Third Division: Ready Made (David Miller), the 3-1 morning line favourite, will leave from post five in his seasonal debut. The Dustin Arledge trainee hit the board in five of seven starts with two wins as a freshman. Ready For Sunshine (Luke Hanners) opened as the 7-2 second choice and will leave from post eight.

Fourth Division: Uncle Danny (Brett Miller) will leave from post two as the 5-2 morning line favourite. The Jason McGinnis trainee has hit the board once in four seasonal starts, finishing third. The 4-1 second choice, Bitcoin King (Austin Hanners), will leave from post five.

Sophomore Colt Pacers Preview

First Division: Global (David Miller) opened as the 8-5 favourite and will leave from the far outside next to 9-2 second choice Odds On Ray (Page) in post eight. Trained by Brian Brown, Global has hit the board in four of five seasonal starts with three wins and $35,534 in earnings.

Second Division: The Ebony Dragon (Luke Hanners) opened as the 3-1 favourite ahead of 4-1 second choice Maserati Marv (David Miller). They will leave from post five and seven, respectively. The Ebony Dragon is trained by Tyler Bates and has one win in six seasonal starts.

Third Division: Seven Seas (Cameron McCown), the 2-1 morning line favourite, has two wins in three starts this season. He is trained by Brown and will leave from post six. Touchedbythesea (Page) and Stoke The Fire (Lems) opened as the co-second choice at 5-1.

Fourth Division: Sweat It Out (Trevor Smith) is the 2-1 morning line favourite. The AJ Carlo trainee has hit the board in all four seasonal starts with three wins and $32,720 in earnings. He will leave from post eight alongside 9-2 second choice Odds On Sugar (Page) on the far outside.

Fifth Division: Starblazer (David Miller) makes his seasonal debut as the 8-5 morning line favourite. The Virgil Morgan Jr. trainee had two wins in four starts as a freshman and will leave from post two. Fire The Prez (Lems) opened as the 3-1 second choice and will leave from post five.

Sixth Division: Sin City Seaside (David Miller) will leave from post six as the 2-1 morning line favourite. Trained by Brown, he has hit the board in four of five seasonal starts with one win. Ninetynineproblems (Mike Wilder) is the 5-2 second choice and will leave from post two.

Saturday’s card also includes five $15,000 USD divisions of the Buckeye Claiming Series for sophomore colt pacers and trotters. First-race post time is 5:25 p.m. Columbus native and Harness Racing Hall of Famer David Miller, the sport’s all-time leader in career earnings with more than $300 million USD, will be signing autographs next to the program stand beginning at 4:30 p.m.

(Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association)