On Wednesday, May 4 at Harrah’s Philadelphia, David Miller joined a selective few in the Standardbred racing industry, as he became just the third driver in the history of the sport to steer his collective mounts to $200 million (U.S.) in purse earnings.

Miller, who is already a Hall of Fame horseman, accomplished the milestone with Hickory Chumley, a 40-1 shot that hit the wire first and paid $82.80 to win.

The only other drivers that have eclipsed the $200-million mark in harness racing are John Campbell ($299 million) and Ron Pierce ($217 million).

Miller was a dominant force on the Ohio circuit for nearly a decade, but a move to the east coast in 1999 has resulted in him ranking with the premier drivers in the sport. Miller started driving in 1981, but it wasn’t until 1988 that his career began to take off. That year saw him steer 153 horses to the winner’s circle, which was six more victories than he had enjoyed in the previous seven years.

Miller, who is closing in on 12,000 career driving victories, dominated his peers in the Scioto drivers’ standings during the 1990s, as he won the dash crown for eight consecutive seasons (1991-'98). He was also the driver of choice on the Ohio Sire Stakes circuit and captured the Jerry Kaltenbach Memorial Award, presented annually to the leading driver in the series, for seven straight years from 1992-'98. He received the 1993 Rising Star Award from the United States Harness Writers’ Association, and in 1999 he represented the United States in the World Driving Championship, which was held in Australia.

Since his move east, Miller has captured driving titles at Freehold, Garden State and the Meadowlands. Miller won the Pacing Triple Crown in 2003 with the late Horse of the Year No Pan Intended. He was the regular driver in 2010 for the older pacing male Won The West, who was the Dan Patch Award winner as the best in his class. The duo captured the Breeders Crown, Canadian Pacing Derby, Molson Pace, and a division of the U.S. Pacing Championship.

On October 24, 2015, Miller had a simply remarkable Breeders Crown Night at Woodbine Racetrack, as he drove five of his mounts to Breeders Crown victories.

(With files from the USTA)