Miller to have more prominent barn at Oaklawn
?q=100)
Oaklawn Park in Arkansas will figure more prominently in trainer Peter Miller’s plans in coming months.
Miller, based at the San Luis Rey Downs training center near San Diego, said on Wednesday that he will have 21 of his approximately 60-horse stable at Oaklawn Park for the track’s 2025-2026 meeting that begins on Friday.
“It’s my biggest string yet in Arkansas,” he said from his stable at San Luis Rey Downs. “That’s really my current focus.
“We’ll keep the turf horses and the Cal-breds here. I did send some Cal-breds there. The purses are bigger there even for the Cal-breds.”
An open company maiden race at Oaklawn Park has a purse of $100,000, compared to as much as $58,500 for California-breds at the current Los Alamitos meeting, or as much as $91,000 for statebreds at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting that begins on Dec. 26.
Oaklawn Park has purses greatly enhanced by casino revenue. California tracks do not have revenue from ancillary gaming, such as casinos.
Miller, who has won 57 races this year through Wednesday, has five runners at Oaklawn Park from Friday through Sunday. He has three starters at Los Alamitos on Friday.
Miller’s Oaklawn Park runners on Friday include Dirty Rich in the $150,000 Advent Stakes for 2-year-olds at six furlongs.
Dirty Rich won a maiden race for $150,000 claimers at 5 1/2 furlongs on dirt at Del Mar on July 31, but was beaten in two turf stakes later in the summer and early fall at Del Mar and Santa Anita.
Miller won nine races at the 2024-2025 Oaklawn Park meeting, including two stakes with Kale’s Angel – the Advent Stakes and Renaissance Stakes.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.