Carlsbad and San Luis Ray-based trainer's Finnegans Wake takes $250,000 Hollywood Turf Cup

By Ed Zieralski  Nov. 27, 2014

DEL MAR — It will be a while before trainer Peter Miller and his family forget Thanksgiving Day 2014. His youngest son (3 1/2 months old) sported a T-shirt proclaiming it as his first Thanksgiving Day. His older brother (now 2½ years old) is getting to be an old hand at going to the winner’s circle. They went there three times Thursday as Miller, now the meeting's leading trainer, won three races, including the Grade II, $250,000 Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes with Finnegans Wake ridden by the meeting's leading rider Victor Espinoza. Miller leads the Del Mar trainers with 12 wins, with Mike Puype second with nine. Espinoza, who will ride Art Sherman’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner California Chrome Saturday in the Hollywood Derby, leads the jockeys with 10 wins after taking his second of the day for Miller, the eighth, on Jazzy Josh. Owned by Donegal Racing (headed by Jerry Crawford of Des Moines, IA) and Rockingham Ranch of Gary Hartunian of Sherman Oaks, Finnegan’s Wake paid $9.80 to win and covered the 1 ½ miles on the turf in 2 minutes, 27.35 seconds. Miller, who lives in Carlsbad and trains at San Luis Rey Downs, won the Del Mar training title in the summer of 2012 and tied Jerry Hollendorfer this past summer for the summer title. He also won the first meeting at Los Alamitos in July. “It would be a big deal to me to win the inaugural Bing Crosby Season here,” Miller said. “There’s no extra money. It probably doesn’t really help my business, but it’s more a personal goal for my team and my staff. Everyone really works hard. I have a lot to be thankful for today – my lovely wife, Lani, our two boys, Jacob and Seth. I’m living here in North County San Diego and doing what I love to do.” © Copyright 2016 The San Diego Union-Tribune. All rights reserved.

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