Miller has horses for stakes in Saudi Arabia and Dubai

ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainer Peter Miller is planning to ship small teams of runners to the major stakes in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 29 and Dubai on March 28.

Billy Batts, Captain Scotty and Ghoul are bound for seven-figure stakes in Saudi Arabia.

Billy Batts, second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in November, was scheduled to start in Friday’s $75,000 Baffle Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita as a prep for the $800,000 Diriyah Dirt Mile for 3-year-olds.

Ghoul, who finished second in the Clocker’s Corner Stakes at Santa Anita on Jan. 26 but was disqualified and placed fifth for causing interference in the stretch, is scheduled to start in the $1 million 1351 Turf Sprint at about 6 3/4 furlongs.

Captain Scotty is scheduled to run in the $1.5 million Riyadh Dirt Sprint following his win in the Grade 2 Palos Verdes Stakes on Jan. 25.

The Dubai team will include the multiple stakes winner Mo Forza for the $6 million Dubai Turf, Gray Magician for the Group 2 Godolphin Mile, and Wrecking Crew for the Group 2 UAE Derby.

Gray Magician, who was second in the 2019 UAE Derby, finished fifth after a wide trip in the Grade 3 Fred Hooper Stakes at a mile at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 25.

Wrecking Crew was third in the BC Juvenile in November and a well-beaten fourth in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity in December.

Miller was second and third in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint last year with Belvoir Bay and Stormy Liberal. In 2018, Stormy Liberal was second in the Al Quoz Sprint and Roy H was third in the Group 1 Golden Shaheen Sprint.

“We’ve had a lot of success without winning,” Miller said. “Two or three times we’ve been second and two or three times third. The paydays are pretty good.”