3 minute read
Trainer Simon Miller can’t lay claim to knowing every blade of grass on Rosehill as he would at Ascot back in Perth but he’s seen enough of the track to be confident it won’t be the undoing of his star mare Amelia’s Jewel.
It's easily forgotten that Miller spent two years in Sydney as assistant trainer to John O'Shea, and went through the equine influenza outbreak and shutdown with him, so Rosehill is far from foreign to him and the course hasn't changed shape since he left for WA in 2008.
And he's rapt to be bringing the best horse he's trained to date – potentially ever will train – to Sydney for Saturday's $10 million James Squire Golden Eagle (1500m).
Miller recalled it was a 'clip' from long time friend Deane Lester, who sadly passed away from cancer earlier this year, that pushed him to make a career changing move.
"I was surfing in WA at the time on holidays from Robbie Griffiths, I got out of the water and there was a missed call from John O'Shea saying 'I'd like you to come up and be assistant','' Miller said.
"I thought about it. Then I rang Deane Lester. I thought Sydney was a bit too quick for me. He said 'you'll never make it as a trainer'.
"He just clipped me and gave me the greatest spray. He said he's got some of the hottest properties in training right now, Racing To Win was burning around, and he's invited you up.
"It's one of the best things I've ever done."
Since his move to Perth in 2008 Miller waited patiently for that special horse to come along and it eventually came in the shape of Amelia's Jewel who handed him his first Group 1 win in last summer's Northerly Stakes.
He'd won Perth's Golden Slipper, the Group 2 Karrakatta Plate within a few years of the move and has trained some top class horses but none like this one.
"If you get them early in your career you probably don't appreciate them as much,'' he said.
"You appreciate the elite ones when you get your opportunity to get your hands on them.
"We've had a lot of horses that have won over a million bucks and headed over east and campaigned well but this one's totally another level above them.
"When you've had a lot of good horses and then you hit a freak you can see the difference straight away."
Amelia's Jewel has won nine of her 12 starts and Miller has resisted the urge to over-react to her shock unplaced effort in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) three weeks ago.
Blinkers were raised as the solution but in the end he felt it was a knee-jerk reaction given everything in the past couple of weeks tells him and jockey Damian Lane she doesn't need any help.
"I thought about it and she is superior with them on,'' he said.
"If she didn't pull up with that low grade bug then I would have (used them) because I would have needed a spike. Do I need to jump at shadows, probably not.
"When she's on song just back her in.
"Damian was worried in a high pressure race and you apply blinkers is it a double edged sword and you fire her up too much? So we went back to she had an excuse so we'll just put a line through it and keep everything the same."
One thing that was out of Miller's control was the barrier draw, owner Peter Walsh took care of that on Tuesday night and drew five. She was $4.20 with TAB on Thursday on the back of that draw.
Miller couldn't have picked a better one if he'd had the choice and he says unlike in her last win at Moonee Valley it will afford Lane plenty of options.
"You can just lob where she wants to be,'' he said.
“It’s great I can nominate his charity and hopefully we can do well.”
— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) October 31, 2023
Peter Walsh, owner of Amelia’s Jewel, talks about his brother’s charity which is connected to his star mare’s bid for Saturday’s $10m James Squire Golden Eagle at Rosehill - Dunsborough Community Respite. pic.twitter.com/x9S8DfgMLC
"At the Valley we drew wide and he rolled her up outside the lead. No matter where you put her in running he can ride her to a position and she'll spit the bit out and come back underneath straight away. She's so responsive in running.
"I'm used to drawing everywhere with her, it's such a bag of lollies.
"She's pretty professional, she spun around the Valley and broke a track record at her first time. I think she will be fine. She's had three Sydney way of going gallops and got onto the right leg every time."
Of course Miller would love to be able to contribute just over $500,000 to charity from winning the Golden Eagle and it'd even more special given the Dunsborough Community Respite is a charity close to the heart of the mare's owner.
"It's been a great journey so far, she's knocked off two Group 2s in Melbourne over the carnival and that in itself is exciting but you want to nail a big one before you head home,'' he said.
