Miller sticks with winning formula

By Glenn Davis

Trainer Rodney Miller has hit a purple patch of form in Far North Queensland and is hoping Spirit Meister can continue his golden run at Cairns on Friday.

Miller has trained five winners from his past seven starters and hopes to add to his success rate with Spirit Meister.

Spirit Meister heads to the Open Handicap over 1250 metres. 

“I just felt he was better suited in the Open, so I’ve decided to go that way with him,” Miller said.

Spirit Meister was a $20,000 buy at the Gold Coast and has been a consistent galloper for the stable, earning more than $203,000 in prizemoney with eight wins and 29 placings from 59 starts.

“He had a bad walk on him when I first spotted him and I got him for only $20,000,” Miller said.

“Apparently, he had a chip in a back hock and the vet told me it was a simple operation to fix.

“I was told he would have sold for something like $200,000 had he not had the hock problem but in the end, we decided not to have the surgery, so it hasn’t affected him much.”

Miller has a team of three horses in work after deciding to cut back his stable numbers in recent times.

“I’ve only got three horses now and that will do me,” Miller said.

“It gives me more time to spend with the horses."

A former jockey, Miller once worked as an assistant trainer to Gerald Ryan when he had stables in Melbourne in the 1980s.

“I started with Gerald when he was training in Melbourne for David Moodie and when he moved back interstate, I worked for Lloyd Williams then Graeme Rogerson and Brian Mayfield-Smith,” he said.

Prior to his Melbourne stint, Miller gained valuable experience riding and training in New Guinea for 12 months.

“I was a jockey in North Queensland when I had a bad fall,” he said.

“When I came back to riding, I went to New Guinea and spent 12 months there training and I was allowed to ride in races, as well.”

Miller is confident Spirit Meister will be competitive in his first start since finishing second in a 1250 metre Benchmark race at Cairns in December.

“This will be his last campaign and it’s the fittest I’ve ever had him for a first-up run,” Miller said.

“I’ll be very surprised if he doesn’t run well.”