Miller has stock to challenge for fifth Del Mar summer title

Peter Miller won his fourth Del Mar summer meet training title last year with 28 wins in the 27-day season.

“I’ll sign up for that right now,” he said.

Miller is wasting no time showing his influence with runners in six of the 10 races on Friday’s opening card of the 31-day season, which runs through Sept. 6.

Miller’s Friday runners include None Above the Law in the $100,000 Runhappy Oceanside Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on turf, Crystalle in an allowance race for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf in the third race, and Don’t Ju Forget in a maiden special weight for California-bred 2-year-old fillies in the fourth race.

“I think we’re very live on opening day,” Miller said.

None Above the Law, owned by breeders Judy and Kirk Robison, won consecutive one-mile turf stakes at Golden Gate Fields in April and May and was a fast-closing second at even money in the $152,000 Snow Chief Stakes for 3-year-old California-breds at 1 1/8 miles on turf on June 19 at Santa Anita.

None Above the Law raced on the inside under jockey Flavien Prat to early stretch and finished a neck behind Jimmy Blue Jeans. A better trip could have resulted in a win, Miller said.

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“Flavien thought so and I thought so,” he said. “There’s that four-letter word – luck.”

Miller, 54, has approximately 100 horses in training this summer at Del Mar and at the nearby San Luis Rey Downs training center. The training title is within reach this summer.

“You never know,” he said. “There is a lot of luck involved. We’ve got a very strong and diversified barn.”

At the 2020 summer meeting, Miller won six stakes, a career best. He has an excellent chance to challenge that record in the coming weeks.

C Z Rocket, who won the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes last August, is a contender for the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at six furlongs on July 31, along with 3-year-old stablemate Love My Jimmy.

The winner of the $300,000 Bing Crosby receives a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 6 at Del Mar. C Z Rocket was second in the BC Sprint at Keeneland last November. Florent Geroux is booked to ride C Z Rocket in the Bing Crosby.

She’s So Special is a candidate for Saturday’s Osunitas Stakes for fillies and mares on turf. Sunday, Contagion is booked for the Grade 3 Cougar II Stakes at 1 1/2 miles, while Neptune’s Storm is expected to run in the Wickerr Stakes at a mile on turf.

On July 25, Indian Peak, a recent private acquisition by owners Gary Barber and Adam Wachtel, will have his first start for Miller in the $150,000 California Dreamin’ Stakes for statebreds at 1 1/16 miles on turf. Indian Peak won the 2020 Snow Chief Stakes at Santa Anita and an allowance race at a mile on the synthetic main track at Golden Gate Fields in April when trained by Quinn Howey.