Miller loaded for Lone Star Million Day

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – The Southern California-based trainer Peter Miller will make his Texas debut Monday when he saddles four graded stakes winners on the Lone Star Million Day card at Lone Star Park.

Miller has C Z Rocket in the Grade 3, $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile, Get Her Number in the $300,000 Texas Derby, Laura’s Light in the $200,000 Ouija Board Distaff, and Texas Wedge in the $100,000 Chamberlain Bridge.

“It’s nice to come in with a really strong group,” Miller said. “Hopefully, they acquit themselves well.”

Lone Star Million Day is being conducted for the first time since 2011. The card features five stakes worth a total of $1.1 million. First post for the 11-race program is 2:20 p.m. Central. Forecasters are calling for a high of 85 degrees and a 10 percent chance of rain.

Miller’s starters are based at San Luis Rey Downs, a training center in Southern California. The horses were scheduled to arrive aboard a Fed Ex flight into Alliance Airport in Fort Worth, Texas.

C Z Rocket, a multiple Grade 2 winner who has earned $1.3 million, could go favored in the Sexton Mile, which also drew By My Standards. C Z Rocket owns the field’s best last-race Beyer Speed Figure, a 101 for his win in the Grade 3, $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap on April 10 at Oaklawn Park. It was the horse’s seventh win from eight starts for Miller.

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“He’s been unbelievable,” Miller said. “He’s been an amazing horse. I’m just grateful to have him in the barn. He’s 7 for 8 with one second – in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Not too shabby.”

Tom Kagele claimed C Z Rocket for $40,000 in April 2020. He now races the horse with Madaket Stables and Gary Barber. C Z Rocket is currently the year’s top-ranked male sprinter by Dan Illman of Daily Racing Form.

“He’s a big, beautiful horse and he’s got a large stride and a great way of moving,” Miller said. “He’s very smooth. That’s why he cost $800,000 as a 2-year-old in training. He’s a big freight train.”

C Z Rocket will start from the outside post in a field of eight, and will be ridden by Florent Geroux. The Sexton Mile goes as the finale, with a post of 7:35 p.m. Central.

The complete field from the rail with riders is: Silver Prospector, Ricardo Santana Jr.; Sheriff Brown, Ty Kennedy; By My Standards, Gabe Saez; Warrior’s Charge, Joel Rosario; Hunka Burning Love, David Cabrera; Harvey Wallbanger, Danny Sorenson; Mo Mosa, Ramon Vazquez; and C Z Rocket, Geroux.

The Sexton Mile is the richest race of the meet at Lone Star.

Get Her Number, winner of the Grade 1 American Pharoah last year at Santa Anita, figures to vie with Super Stock for favoritism in the Texas Derby. Get Her Number had been considered for the Kentucky Derby after a pair of stakes starts at Oaklawn, including a troubled fourth in the Arkansas Derby in his most recent start on April 10.

“He’s doing well,” Miller said. “The reason why we didn’t run in the Derby was [that] two races off the layoff shipping to Arkansas then coming back three weeks to the Derby would have been too much. I’m glad we skipped the Derby. We have a nice horse for the second half of the year.”

Geroux has the mount on Get Her Number. They will start from post 9 in the field of 10. Get Her Number races for Gary Barber.

The complete Texas Derby field from the rail with riders is Scarred, Stewart Elliott; Rightandjust, David Cabrera; It’s My House, Reylu Gutierrez; Mr. Wireless, Ramon Vazquez; Warrant, Joel Rosario; Say It Ain’t Soni, Leandro Goncalves; First Avenue, Weston Hamilton; Dreamer’s Disease, David Cohen; Get Her Number, Geroux; and Super Stock, Ricardo Santana Jr.

Laura’s Light, a Grade 2 winner, is the probable favorite in the Ouija Board for fillies and mares at a mile on turf, while Texas Wedge, also a Grade 2 winner, will start as a top choice in the Chamberlain Bridge.