Miller's Greatest Mounts

David Miller at Woodbine Mohawk Park

Hall of Fame driver David Miller has driven his share of champions while winning more than 13,900 races, ranking sixth all-time in the sport, but who is the greatest racehorse he's ever sat behind?

Miller joined Dave Little in a recent edition of "In The Sulky" at The Meadowlands and revealed his answer to that question.

Miller, known as the 'Purple Jesus' or 'The Buckeye,' also shared his thoughts on his famous nicknames. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, the 58-year-old's purple, white and gold colours have been a Meadowlands mainstay.

The three-time U.S. Driver of the Year explained how he got his nickname 'Purple Jesus' early in his career when he started out in Lebanon, Ohio in the late '80s and early '90s.

"A guy started calling me 'David Jesus Miller' and then it just kind of went to 'Purple Jesus.' It just always makes me smile when someone thinks of me like that," he said, adding that, "I like 'The Buckeye' too. It's pretty fitting, you know, I'm from Ohio. I'm a big Ohio State fan. Yeah, I'm happy with that."

Of course, the Ohio native's career highlights include winning five Little Brown Jugs.

"I started going to Delaware, Ohio when I was about 12 years old and dreamt of winning that race numerous times, and to finally get to win it was a high that I'd never felt before."

No Pan Intended was one of those winners that holds a special place in Miller's heart.

"I called him my 'Cinderella' horse," said Miller. "He showed up in the non-winners of two here in May and won the Triple Crown and the Breeders Crown. He gave me my first Little Brown Jug and he'll always be special to me."

But who is the greatest horse he's ever driven?

"It's very tough. They're two horses I've just driven recently, Always B Miki and Test Of Faith," revealed Miller. "I see a lot of comparison in both of them and they've been so good to me, and I just really, really look up to them."

Watch the full "In The Sulky" interview below as Miller discusses other career highlights and answers fan questions about driving strategy and more.

 

Have something to say about this? Log in or create an account to post a comment.