Columbus, OH — Hall of Fame harness racing driver David Miller posted career victory No. 12,000 when he piloted Vegas Dream to a 1:54.4 victory in the 13th race on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 13) at Harrah's Philadelphia.
Miller became just the fifth driver in North American harness racing history to reach the 12,000 victory plateau. He trails only Dave Palone, Tony Morgan, Herve Filion and Cat Manzi on the all-time win list.
Earlier this season he joined John Campbell and Ron Pierce as the only drivers in harness racing history with more than $200 million in purses. He has ranked among the top five in purses in 16 of the last 17 years and currently sits in second place in that category in 2016 with $11.9 million. Miller also holds the record for most seasons with at least $10 million in purses, with 14, including this year.
Miller, who was voted to the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2013, has been named Driver of the Year in both 2003 and 2015.
His first Driver of the Year honor came in 2003, when he was the regular driver of Pacing Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year No Pan Intended and led all drivers in purses with $11.49 million. He won a record 10 races at the Delaware County Fairgrounds on Little Brown Jug Day that year, including the feature event with No Pan Intended, and also enjoyed successes during the season with the likes of Kikikatie, Kadabra, Modern Art, and Forever Starlet.
In 2015, Miller won a record five Breeders Crown victories with trotting mare D’One, older male pacer Always B Miki, 3-year-old female pacer Divine Caroline, 3-year-old male trotter The Bank, and pacing mare Color’s A Virgin.
Divine Caroline was voted the Dan Patch Award for best 3-year-old female pacer and Miller also was the regular driver behind Dan Patch Award winning 2-year-old female trotter Broadway Donna. In addition, he scored stakes wins in 2015 with Dan Patch Award honorees State Treasurer and Bee A Magician.
“Those two years were pretty much equal,” Miller said earlier this year, comparing his two Driver of the Year campaigns. “That year with No Pan Intended, I won 10 races that day at Delaware. People still will bring that up from time to time. I’m sure down the road people will bring (the Breeders Crown) up.
“It was quite an accomplishment to have that big a night on a night that is that big. It’s a little luck, and good horses, and everything kind of clicked. Nights like that I’ll cherish forever.”
USTA Communications Department