Trenton, NJ --- Trainer Julie Miller will need some good peripheral vision Saturday as she will have her eyes all over the Meadowlands Racetrack.
The veteran trainer has three horses in the $213,500 Delvin Miller Memorial for 3-year-old female trotters -- Designed To Be, Bambino Supreme and Cee Bee Yes.
While one might think it would be three times the stress worrying about a trio of horses rather than just one, Miller feels that’s almost impossible by now.
“At this time of year I’ve hit my ceiling with my stress level; I don’t know if it can get any more on me,” she said with a laugh. “I’d rather be in this position than watching the race in the grandstand, that’s for sure.
“My horses are like my kids. They all have their strengths and attitudes and all three of them are so distinct, but at the same time they race well and they all deserve to be in this race. They’ll prove what they are.”
When she uses the word “distinct,” Miller isn’t embellishing as it is fairly easy to distinguish between the three horses.
“They’re all night and day,” she said. “All three look different. Designed To Be is real tall, Bambino Supreme is more lackadaisical and athletic, like a stud colt, and Cee Bee Yes is the sweetheart of the group. So I’ve got the wild one, the ornery one and the sweetie.
“They all can race. All three have raced in all different ways. They’ve all been very versatile, which I’m fortunate for.”
Miller’s top threat in Saturday’s 11-horse field will be Designed To Be, who has won both of her starts this year with Brian Sears driving. Julie’s husband, Andy Miller, was injured in an April accident and needed vertebrae surgery, so Sears has taken over (Andy is improving and went for his 12-week check-up on Wednesday).
Designed To Be, bred and owned by Al Libfeld and Marvin Katz, set or equaled world records both last year and this year and has won six of 10 career starts with three second-place finishes. She will be up against some tough competition in the Miller, with horses such as Shake It Cerry, Cooler Schooner, Heaven’s Door and Lifetime Pursuit.
“She’s been real good this year,” Miller said. “We’ve been trying to pick our spots and manage her correctly. She’s coming into form quite nicely. I was happy with her at Pocono (winning a division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes in world-record-equaling 1:51.3). She was handy and did everything Brian asked of her.
“She’s our high hopes for this deep class. There are some nice horses out there. I think it’s really just going to come down to the trip, and who’s the best on that day.”
Miller feels Designed To Be has done a nice job of continuing the success she enjoyed last year, when she captured the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship and won a division of the Bluegrass Stakes in a world-record 1:52.2.
“She showed me a lot as a 2-year-old, and we were hoping she would come back to that form at 3, which she has,” the trainer said. “It’s like anything, you try your best and keep your fingers crossed and she’s bounced back with another nice year.
“With Andy being on the inj