Churchill Downs: Miller’s Pure Aristotle, Good Tickled complement each other

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Darrin Miller has done some of his finest work in a 13-year training career with a turf sprinter named Havelock, a six-time stakes winner who recently was turned out for a brief and well-deserved rest after another productive season.

Miller, like most other trainers, does not want to be typecast as a specialist, lest that suppress his opportunities in a wide variety of other racing endeavors. He has a rightful claim: None of his previous seven stakes winners won in the turf-sprint niche, from Great Notion (2003) to Gin and Sin (2004-05) to Dominican (2007) to Driving Snow (2009).

So pardon Miller just this once if he indulges a couple of his up-and-comers in a little more turf-sprinting before grass racing comes to a halt in this sometimes intemperate region, as he sends out the uncoupled duo of Pure Aristotle and Good Tickled in the Friday feature at Churchill Downs, a $43,000, first-level allowance scheduled for five furlongs on the turf.

Miller said he likes how the running styles of his pair are complementary, with 4-year-old Pure Aristotle a speed type and 3-year-old Good Tickled doing his best from off the pace.

“I’d expect Pure Aristotle to be out there early again, and Good Tickled coming on strong at the end,” Miller said this week from his Trackside training center base. “Both of them have been training real well. I’m glad to have the chance to run them both in this kind of spot.”

Pure Aristotle, with Miguel Mena to ride, and Good Tickled (Joe Rocco Jr.) drew alongside each other on the hedge in posts 1 and 2, respectively. In all, 12 horses are on the program for the ninth of 10 Friday races, although only as many as 10 can start.

Other logical contenders in what shapes up as a very contentious feature include Sayler’s Creek (post 7, Julien Leparoux), Simple Interest (post 8, Shaun Bridgmohan), and Jimmer (post 10, Roberto Morales).

Meanwhile, Havelock recently was turned out at Silverton Hill Farm in Springfield, Ky., after finishing 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. The bay gelding will return to training early next year as a 7-year-old at Payson Park in Florida, said Miller, with the Grade 3 Shakertown in April at Keeneland being the early season goal for 2014. Havelock, an earner of nearly $620,000, is becoming something of a turf-sprint legend at Keeneland, having already won three stakes there.

Although three turf races were switched to the main track Wednesday at Churchill because of unseasonably cold conditions, the forecast for Friday calls for seasonable temperatures and no rain, so the two races carded on turf – the fifth race is the other – should be held as scheduled. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern, with the feature set for 4:34 p.m.