Erv Miller recently joined rare company in harness racing by reaching the 6,000 win plateau — a milestone reached by only three other trainers. At his current pace, he’ll reach another major milestone with even less company by the end of the year.
Miller joined Ron Burke, Virgil Morgan Jr. and Richard Moreau among the list of trainers with more than 6,000 wins, and he hit that milestone in his new home state of Pennsylvania on July 18 at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono with Kilee Rocks. The veteran horseman said with a smile that it took “a lot of races to get to 6,000 wins.” He’s not wrong; lifetime, Miller has more than 27,000 starts but his lifetime 0.353 training percentage indicates a fair amount of success throughout those 27,000-plus starts to join this exclusive group.
Although Miller’s name is the one on the stable sign that receives the bulk of the praise and accolades, he is thankful for those who have been a part of his team over the years. “I’ve had a lot of support from the owners. We’ve had great people work for us."
It takes hours and many people to get the work done and Miller is appreciative of the help he has received over the years that have given him the push to hit the historic milestone. “Everything needs to be right for [the horses] that week...If I didn’t have the help. It wouldn’t have happened. It’s hard enough to get one win in the horse racing business let alone 6,000,” adding that “it takes good owners buying good horses.”
Miller’s continued consistency certainly helped pave the way for the Illinois native to reach this milestone. He’s currently fourth among North American trainers this year in wins (144) and earnings ($2,688,379) and hasn’t dipped below 13th best in either category in the last 20 years. A number like that can easily sneak up on someone that just puts his nose to the grind and works hard every day.
“It’s amazing but I had never really thought about it before.”
With more than $96.5 million in career earnings, Miller is on the cusp of reaching the US$100 million mark in lifetime earnings, and this milestone is something Miller has on his radar. Only Ron Burke and Jimmy Takter have more than US$100 million in trainer earnings.
“It was brought to my attention that I was approaching $100 million. So, it will be my goal for 2022. Let’s see if that happens.”
Miller’s best year came in 2007 when he earned more than $7 million in purses and had 434 wins as a trainer — both totals second best in harness racing that year. He has shown no signs of slowing down, picking up another 28 wins in the 12 days since his milestone tally.
The names of Lis Mara, Loyal Opposition, Restive Hanover, Shark Gesture and Manofmanymissions are familiar to fans of harness racing as Grand Circuit stars from the Miller stable. While he still has races like the Little Brown Jug and the Hambletonian on his bucket list, Miller has changed the main focus of his stable in recent years to a more regional approach.
“The last few years I’ve taken a different avenue. I look at the Sire Stakes more than the Grand Circuit races now. It works for me and feels like the right spot.”
(A Trot Insider exclusive by Trey Colbeck)