by James Platz

When older pacer Rocket Fuel retired following the 2015 campaign, trainer Alvin Miller believed he was sending his “horse of a lifetime” out to pasture. Two years later, he purchased a yearling colt from the first crop of Tellitlikeitis that has thus far compiled a career that rivals the horse he replaced. Tellmeaboutit, now 7, has taken the conditioner and co-owner on a thrilling ride that, most recently, yielded back-to-back triumphs in Harrah’s Hoosier Park’s top class. The latest victory came by a narrow margin Friday (July 7) in the $22,000 open handicap.

“There’s a lot of similarities between the two of them,” Miller said when comparing Tellmeaboutit and Rocket Fuel. “They’ve both been pretty sound and consistent horses. The biggest thing I’ve had to do with both of them is keep them fresh and ready.”

The veteran trainer has done a masterful job on that front. Friday night’s score is the 29th of Tellmeaboutit’s career, coming in the gelding’s 95th trip behind the starting gate. The pacer has hit the board in 79 per cent of his starts, and the latest victory pushed his career bankroll to just over $850,000.

“We’ve always known he had talent. I guess my biggest challenge at 2 was to keep the foot on the brakes long enough to keep him good and keep his head on straight,” said Miller. “Honestly, the first time I ever trained him with another horse, my son and I were training together. His horse was kind of lazy and he got to hollering at the horse and this little guy liked to climb out of his skin getting away from him. I knew at that point we had something.”

There was a time when harness racing was merely a hobby for Miller. His focus was farming 2,500 acres of corn and soybeans while raising thousands of pigs. However, when his stake in agriculture began to contract, it cleared the way for an expansion into racing. The late Phil Harts and his wife, Twila, were one of the first owners to reach out and inquire about sending horses to the Bunker Hill resident. It was Phil that signed the slip on Rocket Fuel, paying $10,500 at the 2005 Hoosier Classic sale.

“When we bought Rocket Fuel, Phil didn’t want him because he was acting so silly and crazy at the sale,” said Miller. “I told Phil, ’If you don’t want him, I think I’m going to go ahead and buy him.’ Phil responded, ‘Well, you’re the one that’s got to mess with him. If you want to tackle him, I’ll go ahead and buy him.’ So he did.”

The son of Dontgetminmyway didn’t make it to the races as a freshman. When he debuted at 3, however, he immediately made an impact. That season, the sophomore won nine times, including his first three starts, and hit the board in 17-of-21 attempts, banking $133,435. He captured the $100,000 Indiana Sires Stakes final at Indiana Downs that fall in a time of 1:52. Rocket Fuel went on to add two more ISS finals wins as a 4-year-old and later at age 8.

“Rocket Fuel was push button from the word go,” Miller said. “That horse, you could leave 10 weeks in a row with him and then put him to the back the next time and you wouldn’t need hand holds to drive him. That’s how easy he was. One of the reasons he was such a good horse was because he was so versatile.”

Rocket Fuel finished his career with 40 victories over 198 starts, finishing first, second or third nearly 53 percent of the time. He made at least 15 starts in each of his nine seasons, taking seasonal marks of 1:51 or faster in all but two years. The gelding recorded at least one trip to the winner’s circle each season, and retired with $784,006 on his card.

It would be hard to match Rocket Fuel’s exploits, but in Tellmeaboutit, Miller and partner Twila Harts have another special horse with personality and grit. Initially, the conditioner picked out the yearling pacer for himself, paying $25,000, but brought Harts on as co-owner.

“Twila and I, we had a list of some horses we tried to buy,” said Miller. “We had our budget set. We even raised it the second day to $75,000 and still didn’t get one that we wanted. Twila was kind of down in the dumps because we just bought another horse or two, but didn’t get the one she wanted. I said to her, ‘If you want half of him, you can have him.’ I made that deal with her on the way home. I was happy to do that because we’ve had a lot of success together.”

Their success extends beyond the two geldings. Harts and Miller partnered with Ted Comerford on pacing filly Topville Cadillac, who won the Super Final as a freshman in 2015. The two families have collaborated on several horses over the years with good results.

“I tell people that Twila and Phil have been my rabbit’s foot, my lucky charm,” Miller said. “She and Phil have made great owners because they let you manage the horse. There’s not a lot of owners that will let you do that.”

Entrusting the trainer to manage Tellmeaboutit has produced some memorable moments. Like Rocket Fuel, this gelding also has three Indiana Sires Stakes finals victories under his belt. After claiming a Super Final at 3, Tellmeaboutit added titles at 4 and again last season as a 6-year-old. At age 5, the gelding came within a neck of winning the 2021 Dan Patch Stakes over his home track. Sent off at 69-1 odds, Mike Oosting and his charge stormed home in :25.2 to fall just shy of Catch The Fire at the wire.

“That was a highlight. The one where he just missed out of the nine hole, that was probably one of the top five thrills I’ve had in the horse business, and he finished second,” Miller said.

On the track, Tellmeaboutit is a fierce competitor. Around the barn he is given the moniker ‘Snip’ due to his sometimes-challenging disposition.

“This one has a little bit more of an ornery streak in him. He’ll bite you if you don’t watch him. It’s almost like a game to him. He’s not being mean, that’s just how he plays. And he plays a little rough sometimes,” Miller said.

He concedes that the fast miles are beginning to take their toll on his star pacer. Friday night Tellmeaboutit won by a head in a scratch-shortened field of five, pacing in 1:48, a new seasonal mark for the Lavon Miller-bred pacer. One week earlier he collected a 1:49.1 victory, pacing home in :25.3. Miller knows that Tellmeaboutit can turn in a fast mile, but realizes producing these efforts weekly may be a tall order.

“I’m not sure he’s quite what he was two years ago. He might have lost a half step. He can still do it on any given night. He’s had enough hard miles in him, I don’t know that he’ll bring it every week like he did,” said Miller. “He’s still plenty capable. Last week he was extremely sharp, but he felt good all week. He played in the stall a lot and you could just tell he was his old self. Hopefully we’ll have a few more of those weeks.”

The victory is the third of the season from seven starts. Tellmeaboutit has earned show dough twice in open competition to pair with the wins. Friday’s time is one-fifth of a second shy of the gelding’s career best, taken last August. The trainer and part-owner is soaking up the experience and enjoying each moment.

“Fifteen years ago, I never thought I’d have one like that. To know you’ve got one of the few to pace across this track in [1:47.4], it’s a great feeling. It just doesn’t happen for everybody,” Miller said. “The horse has made a lot of good memories along the way. Hopefully he’ll make a few more.”