Mission: Possible for a patient Miller
AFTER an apprenticeship of almost 20 years under the likes of Gerald Ryan, Rob Hickmont and Lloyd Williams, Rodney Miller can now boast to have trained a racehorse to a victory.
Miller, formerly a leading jockey in the Far North around 20 years ago, only took out his training licence about a month ago and now has his first winner.
Possible, ridden by Sonja Wiseman at Cannon Park on Saturday, delivered the fledgling Miller stable its maiden triumph in the PROGIG Class B Handicap over 950m.
Miller worked under the likes of Ryan, Hickmont and Williams during his time living in Victoria and acquired the bay mare from Mick Kent.
Miller rode as a jockey for 20 years around Cairns until the late 1990s before returning to Melbourne to work as an assistant trainer.
“I had enough of living in Melbourne, so I decided to head back home and start training myself,” Miller said.
“I loved it up here in Cairns when I lived here previously but the missus wanted to go home.
“If it was not for that, I do not think I would have ever left.
“I am happy to be back here though.”
Wiseman just got Possible home on the line, scoring ahead of One for the Ton and Second Time Around, in the opening event of the afternoon.
“It is a nice mare, Rodney certainly has his hands on a decent horse, that is for sure,” Wiseman said.
“He said to me before the race that he may not be ready for this but I think she will go good and she ran very good. “It is a lovely little horse.” The White Rock-based trainer says he will take fiveyear-old to Cluden Park in Townsville in the coming weeks.
“We will look to take it to Townsville in about three weeks – it is better on the wet track,” Miller said. “We will just wait and see until the track gets a bit wetter.
“I only have the two in work, my other horse, Campanula, will get a start at the TAB meeting in Cairns in a few weeks.”
Later in the day at Cannon Park on Saturday, trainer Fred Wieland and jockey Amanda Thomson scored a double with Boom Sha La and Devastating Rhythm.
Alwyn Bailey and Dean Piccolo also trained winners across the five-race card. SYDNEY KINGS 92 (G Whittington 22 J Powell 17 J Cadee 15) d NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 77 (T Abercrombie 17 C Webster 13 B Woodside 12) at North Shore Events Centre. MELBOURNE UNITED 78 (D Andersen 15 R Moore 15 C Jackson 14) d BRISBANE BULLETS 70 (D Kickert 23 C Bairstow 15 J Beal 8) at Hisense Arena. ADELAIDE 36ERS 83 (J Randle 23 N Sobey 15 D Johnson 13) d CAIRNS TAIPANS 67 (C Gliddon 14 A Loughton 11 M Worthington 11) at Titanium Security Arena. PERTH WILDCATS 80 (C Prather 24 J Mckay 14 M Knight 12) d ILLAWARRA HAWKS 73 (K White 16 A Ogilvy 15 R Clarke 13) at Perth Arena. BRISBANE BULLETS 88 (T Craig 17 C Bairstow 14 D Kickert 13) d NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 82 (A Mitchell 20 K Penney 14 B Woodside 14) at Brisbane Convention Centre. PERTH WILDCATS 72 (C Prather 16 M Knight 14 A Ingram 8) d MELBOURNE UNITED 69 (M Majok 12 T Wesley 10 D Andersen 9) at Hisense Arena. Tonight: Sydney Kings v Illawarra Hawks at Qudos Bank Arena at 6.30pm. MELBOURNE BOOMERS 66 (A Kunek 17 R Cole 12 M Garrick 10 K Bowen 10) d ADELAIDE LIGHTNING 61 (L Hodges 14 S McKay 12 S Logic 11). (A SYDNEY UNI FLAMES 74 Wilson 15 A Taylor 15 L Mitchell 13) d BENDIGO SPIRIT 69 (N Raincock-Ekunwe 17 K Harrington 15 K Griffin 10). (S DANDENONG RANGERS 92 Cumming 21 S Blicavs 15 J Kennedy 13) d TOWNSVILLE FIRE 65 (S Batkovic 18 M Murray 17 K Standish 10). SYDNEY UNI FLAMES 69 (L Mitchell 20 A Taylor 19 B Snell 9) d TOWNSVILLE FIRE 68 (M Murray 16 S Batkovic 12 M Cocks 11). PERTH LYNX 65 (S Whitcomb 23 C Mijovic 13 T Phillips 11) d CANBERRA CAPITALS 59 (M Tolo 22 M Ruef 15 L Mansfield 14). MELBOURNE BOOMERS 71 (B Smart 17 M Garrick 14 R Cole 13) d BENDIGO SPIRIT 67 (N Raincock-Ekunwe 21 K Griffin 13 K Harrington 12).