Dan's the Manawatu Man

Te Akau apprentice jockey Daniel Miller provided a thrilling highlight to Saturday racing with a dashing late run on Upper Cut (8 g Yamanin Vital - Volucidate, by Volksraad) to win the $50,000 L J Hooker Manawatu Steeplechase over 4400 metres at Awapuni.

Trained by jumps' maestro Mark Oulaghan, Upper Cut had won two steeplechases in 2012 before spending a couple of years on the sidelines and recently looked back to his best with an excellent win on the flat.

A gifted horseman, at only eighteen years of age, Miller displayed terrific patience and poise in his ride aboard Upper Cut. Content to lob along in the rear group, measuring his fences nicely, it appeared a minor placing might be his lot until gobbling up the leader in the last few strides. It was heady stuff and a victory that will do wonders for the career of the young man.

Miller said: “Mark said the main thing today was to get a bit of cover and that in his first chase of the season he might not be quite there yet, so for him to hit the line like he did was really encouraging.

“Coming around the bend he was only just on the bridle, whacking away nicely and I wasn't sure whether I could get them but just like in his flat run he really dashed home”.

“Mark has supported me from quite an early stage in my career, which is great,” said Miller, now in his third season.

Oulaghan too had excitement in his eyes as he goes away with the knowledge that come the first week of August he could be saddling a genuine Koral Steeplechase and Grand National Steeplechase prospect for the same owners that dominated those races a few years ago with Counter Punch (Yamanin Vital), and providing he plays his cards right Miller can help make it happen.

The Informant's Dennis Ryan reported:

Daniel Miller may be the youngest member of New Zealand jumps jockey ranks, but with the backing of two of the “old hands” in the code he has made rapid progress in his chosen profession.

Today at Awapuni, 18-year-old Miller notched his most important win to date when he got Upper Cut home in the L J Hooker Manawatu Steeplechase. The lightly raced eight-year-old is trained by noted jumps conditioner Mark Oulaghan, while back at his home base in Matamata Miller has the backing of former leading jumps' jockey Tom Hazlett.

Miller is attached to the Te Akau Racing operation, where Hazlett was employed until recently taking on the role as manager of the pre-training and breaking-in department of Valachi Downs.

“I don't live with Tom and Pam (Gerard) any more but Tom still tapes all my races and goes through them with me afterwards,” Miller said as he savoured today's big win. “He's had a lot to do with Mark putting me on and Tom's always told me that of all the trainers he ever rode for, Mark was the best at getting them fit.”

That factor was paramount again in today's 4400-metre feature, which was Upper Cut's first jumps start since he fell in the Great Northern Steeplechase last September. After settling well back, Upper Cut was still out of play starting the run home and the race was between Mr Mor and the favourite Carinya.

But with a determined late burst through the inside form the final fence, Upper Cut got the upper hand to cut back the other two and grab an unlikely win by a long neck from Mr Mor, with two and three-quarter lengths to Carinya. The Fox made a good sight in front before weakening to fourth ahead of Snodroptwinkletoes, who worked home late.

“I was mindful that he hadn't had a jumping start for so long and I tried to give him as soft a run as possible, but he really finished it off well,” said Miller, who is now second equal on this season's jumps jockey standings with eight wins alongside Charlie Studd and three behind the premiership topper Michael Mitchell.

“This is my biggest win and even though it's not rated a Prestige Jumps Race it still feels pretty good.”

The other common denominator in today's result is Upper Cut's sire, former White Robe Lodge stallion Yamanin Vital. He is also the sire of previous star performers for the Oulaghan stable such as the dual Grand National Steeplechase winner Counter Punch, who also won the Grand National and Wellington Hurdles, and Yourtheman, the winner of the Grand National and Waikato Hurdles and Hawke's Bay Steeples.

That last race is likely to be Upper Cut's next target, while it will be left to stablemate Brushman to contest the Wellington Steeplechase, a race he has won twice before, with a view to Upper Cut carrying on Riccarton for the Grand National carnival.