California Horse Racing Board files complaints against Peter Miller and trainer Ruben Alvarado

Trainers Ruben Alvarado and Peter Miller face possible sanctions from the California Horse Racing Board after the regulatory agency filed complaints in late May alleging they improperly handled daily training and business affairs related to the large stable Miller relinquished to Alvarado last fall.

Miller, one of California’s most prominent trainers, stopped training last November, citing burnout and a desire to spend more time with his family. Miller turned the stable over to longtime assistant Alvarado, saying at the time that he planned to retain an advisory role to Alvarado.

In an interview with Daily Racing Form in February, Miller said he was in contact with horse owners and visiting the Alvarado stable at the San Luis Rey Downs training center “two or three times a week.”

At the time, Miller did not dismiss the possibility of a return to training this year.

In its complaint, the racing board alleged that between Dec. 23, 2021 and March 24 of this year that Miller took a more active role, “and engaged in behavior consistent with the duties of a trainer at the San Luis Rey Downs Training Center” with horses trained by Alvarado.

The racing board cited activity from Miller such as “entering horses, conducting endoscopy exams, giving instruction to riders, examining horses, consulting with veterinarians, controlling and accessing bank accounts purported to belong to Ruben Alvarado Racing Stables, assigning jockeys, and creating training charts.”

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Miller, 55, declined to comment via text message on Thursday.

Last Sunday, Miller had his first official starter since November when Respect the Code finished sixth in an allowance race at Churchill Downs. Miller, who has won 1,338 races, said last week that he plans to resume training this summer at Los Alamitos, which starts a three-week meeting on June 25, and for the Del Mar summer meeting, which begins on July 22.

Miller said he does not plan to train at the current Santa Anita meeting which ends on June 19.

The racing board published a complaint against Alvarado alleging that he was aware Miller was handling those day-to-day activities and “did not set up his own stable bank account independent of Miller, which was required per the Steward's direction.”

Alvarado has been the stable’s official trainer since the Los Alamitos winter meeting last December. At the current Santa Anita winter-spring meeting that began on Dec. 26, Alvarado was tied for eighth in the trainer’s standings with 19 wins through Monday.

Last fall, Miller cited the stress of his stable being under increased scrutiny following the deaths of six horses from late 2020 to the fall of 2021, including two from injuries sustained in racing and three in training, as a reason to cease training.

“The last three years have been brutal – the blame game, scrutiny, just everything,” he said at the time. “It hasn’t been fun to be a horse trainer.”

Since assuming official control of the stable, Alvarado has had one fatality – Bet On Mookie, who was injured while training at San Luis Rey Downs in February, according to racing board records.

Fatalities have been a high-profile subject in California racing since a series of deaths in racing and training at Santa Anita in early 2019 led to enhanced regulation and oversight.

In the complaints, the racing board said Miller’s case will be heard later this month, while Alvarado will have a hearing in July.