Miller Reaps Dividends With Problem Horse
11 June, 2018
Thoroughbred
For Bernie Miller, training horses at his Hopeland property is a labour of love.
But in recent times it has also been a test of his patience and resilience.
In the fickle world of horse racing, patience is a virtue for any trainer. It is an essential part of their DNA.
However; for Miller, the trials and tribulations of Sovereign Trade was enough to test the resolve of any horseman, let alone his.
Miller has always maintained great hopes for Sovereign Trade, forecasting a bright future, but a litany of injuries has held the gelding back.
But after Sovereign Trade won his second straight race at Belmont on Saturday, there are signs he may have turned the corner.
A buoyant Miller believes his persistence in nursing Sovereign Trade back to full health will continue to reap rich dividends.
“It was not just physical, but also mental,” Miller told Tabradio.
“Early days he was a very nervous horse.
“At one stage we didn’t think we would get him to a trial let alone get him to fast work.
“He was just a scared little animal.
“Then after getting through that battle he started hitting his point of elbow.
“It was to a point where it would bleed profusely and blow up to the size of a mandarin.
“Then after starting to get trust in us and improving he came up with all these feet problems.
“We would just get him right and then he would go sore again.
“He would do a magnificent gallop and then couldn’t work for a week.
“After listening to a few people we put these pads on him.
“But now thankfully we are reaping the rewards after showing a lot of patience.
After storming home with a withering finish from the tail of the field over 1200m at Pinjarra on May 23, Sovereign Trade backed up impressively when scoring at Belmont on Saturday.
Unleashing a strong burst from the 200m, Sovereign Trade, ridden by Pat Carbery, raced away to defeat his next rival by a half-length in the Heineken 3 Handicap (1400m).
It’s the fourth win for Sovereign Trade, who has also been placed three times from 11 starts since stepping out for his debut run at Bunbury nearly two years ago.
Miller says there are bigger wins in store for Sovereign Trade.
“I think he has a fair bit there,” Miller said.
“Paddy (Pat Carbery) said about last October that this horse has a real good race in him if we can get him there.
“I think there is a fair bit of improvement from Saturday.”
Julio Santarelli