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Alvarado Suspended, Miller Fined by Los Alamitos Stewards

Last month, trainer Peter Miller was fined $10,000 and suspended seven days by the Santa Anita Park stewards for violating the California Horse Racing Board's (CHRB) rules against program training.

The CHRB contended that Miller had remained involved in the daily training of horses after they had been turned over to and listed under the name of his former assistant, Ruben Alvarado.

Alvarado was named in the original complaint, but had avoided any formal sanctions until last Friday, when he was suspended 14 days by the Los Alamitos stewards for violating the CHRB's program training regulations between Dec. 23, 2021, and Mar. 24, 2022, at the San Luis Rey Training Center.

The suspension is pursuant to a stipulated agreement and mutual release with the CHRB and runs from July 1 through July 14 of this year.

“During the term of suspension, all licenses and license privileges of Ruben Alvarado are suspended and pursuant to California Horse Racing board rule #1528 (Jurisdiction of Stewards to Suspend or Fine), Ruben Alvarado is denied access to all premises in this jurisdiction,” the ruling states.

Separately on Friday, the Los Alamitos stewards issued Miller a $5,000 fine as an owner for an incident of “disorderly conduct” occurring on Feb. 14, 2022, at San Luis Rey Training Center.

The original complaint alleges that Miller used the word “fuck” multiple times in the presence of a regulatory veterinarian who had kept a Miller-owned horse on the vet's list after an official workout.

Reached by text Monday, Miller declined to comment.

Last November, Miller announced that he was taking a “temporary hiatus” from training to spend “more time with my family, focus on overall health and wellness, and pursue other interests.”

The announcement triggered speculation that Miller was stepping away due to regulatory scrutiny for having five horses die under his care during 2021 in California, four of them fatal musculoskeletal injuries.

Miller insisted that his decision to step away from the training ranks had nothing to do with any factors other than his feeling that he needed time away from the sport.

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Peter Miller Fined, Suspended for Alleged Program Training

Trainer Peter Miller has been fined $10,000 and suspended seven days by the Santa Anita Park stewards for violating the California Horse Racing Board's rule against program training. The ruling was made pursuant to a stipulated agreement and mutual release with the CHRB.

As previously reported, the CHRB filed a complaint earlier this week alleging that Miller remained involved in the daily training of horses after they had been turned over to and listed under the name of his former assistant Ruben Alvarado. Alvarado was named in a related complaint, but a ruling was only posted against Miller on the CHRB site as of Saturday evening.

Miller announced last fall that he was taking a “temporary hiatus” from training for what he claimed was to spend “more time with my family, focus on overall health and wellness, and pursue other interests.” Speculation ensued that Miller was actually stepping away due to scrutiny he had received for a series of five catastrophic injuries among his horses in 2021. Miller denied such claims.

Former Miller trainees began running in Alvarado's name in early December, but the CHRB alleges that Miller “engaged in behavior consistent with the duties of a trainer at the San Luis Rey Training Center with horses in the barn of Ruben Alvarado” from Dec. 23, 2021 to Mar. 24, 2022.

Miller made his return as a listed trainer at Churchill Downs May 29, and has reportedly been gearing up for a return at the upcoming Los Alamitos and Del Mar meets in California.

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CHRB Charges That Miller Was Actively Training During His Hiatus

The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) has filed a complaint against trainer Peter Miller, alleging that he was involved in the daily training of horses after they had been turned over to and put under the name of his former assistant Ruben Alvarado.

Alvarado has also been charged in a separate complaint involving the same allegations.

In November, Miller announced that he was taking a “temporary hiatus” from training to spend “more time with my family, focus on overall health and wellness, and pursue other interests.” The announcement created speculation that Miller was stepping away because he had come under scrutiny for having five horses die under his care due to catastrophic injuries in 2021. But Miller insisted that his decision to stop training had nothing to do with any factors other than his feeling that he needed time away from the sport.

Miller made his last start in 2021 on Nov. 28. The majority of his stable was then placed under Alvarado's name and Alvarado made his debut as a head trainer Dec. 3.

The CHRB is now charging that Miller never fully stepped away. According to the complaint, between Dec. 23, 2021 and Mar. 24, 2022 Miller “engaged in behavior consistent with the duties of a trainer at the San Luis Rey Training Center with horses in the barn of Ruben Alvarado.” The CHRB has charged that Miller entered horses, conducted endoscopy exams, gave instructions to riders, examined horses, consulted with veterinarians, controlled and accessed bank accounts belonging to Alvarado Racing Stables, assigned jockeys and created training charts.

In the complaint issued against Alvarado, the CHRB wrote that Alvarado acknowledged that he was aware that Miller had continued to handle many of the training duties regarding the running of stable. It was also noted in the complaint that Alvarado did not set up a stable bank account independent of Miller, which was required per the Stewards's direction.

The complaint was issued May 23. Miller has been notified to appear before the stewards at Los Alamitos June 20. Alvarado's hearing in set for July 18 at Los Alamitos. Should the stewards rule that Alvarado and/or Miller did in fact conspire to allow Miller to train behind the scenes, it is not clear what the penalty might be. However, the complaint acknowledges that the stewards are empowered to impose a number of penalties, including a suspension of that person's license.

Miller did not respond to a text seeking comment Wednesday.

Last week, Miller entered a horse under his own name at Churchill Downs and said he was ready to return to training. The horse, Respect the Code (Honor Code), finished sixth in a May 29 allowance at Churchill. Miller said that Respect the Code was the only horse he had in Kentucky and that his main focus upon his comeback would be the upcoming Los Alamitos and Del Mar meets in California. 1/ST Racing has said little about Miller's status at Santa Anita. Alvarado has horses entered at Santa Anita on Friday and Saturday. Alvarado has compiled a record of 23 for 134 (17%) and won this year's GIII Las Cienegas S.

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Trainer Peter Miller Set to Return at Churchill Downs

Peter Miller, who has not started a horse since Nov. 28, will make his return Sunday at Churchill Downs when he sends out Respect the Code (Honor Code) in the eighth race.

Miller announced last fall that he was taking a break from training, explaining in a press release that he wanted to “spend more time with his family, focus on overall health and wellness, and pursue other interests.” At the time, the bulk of his stable was moved over to his former assistant Ruben Alvarado.

In a text message, Miller, 55, explained that he chose to launch his comeback with Respect the Code because he wanted his first horse back to be owned by Gary Barber. “He's been my biggest supporter for over 15 years,” Miller wrote.

Miller went on to explain that Respect the Code is his only horse he has in Kentucky and that the bulk of his stable will be in Southern California. He said he is gearing up for the meets at Los Alamitos and Del Mar. The Los Alamitos meet begins June 22 and the Del Mar season begins July 13.

When asked via text if the horses that had been turned over to Alvarado will return to his stable, Miller wrote, “I hope so.”

Miller's status at Santa Anita remains unclear. By deadline for this story, Aidan Butler, the chief operating officer for 1/st Racing, which owns, Santa Anita, had not responded to a text asking whether or not Miller's entries would be accepted at the Arcadia, California track.

Miller's announcement that he was stepping away from training came shortly after a horse under his care died at the San Luis Rey training center. In 2021, five horses in his care suffered catastrophic injuries, the highest number of any single trainer in California this year. Though 1/st Racing did not publicly take any action against Miller, there was speculation that he was forced out. When announcing his hiatus, Miller said the decision was strictly his own.

“I know that there may be some speculation related to this decision; however, I want to make it very clear that it is not a result of any regulatory action, secret agreement or hidden agenda of any kind,” he said in the press release. “This is strictly a personal decision.”

Miller, who has won nine training titles at Del Mar, has 1,338 career wins.

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