Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-30

trotters PAGERS When he felt the time had come to
introduce bigtme racing the Washington area
Miller unhesatngly threw his efforts and his money into
Rosecroft, adjacent to his own rolling green acres
THE HARNESS RACING PURIST is hardy sort. Even
the oldest driver But when 10 he had one
distinction to himself He the leading driver the
country with los victories SIS seconds and 20 thirds in
starts
dad puts to shame" lamented his son. Johnny
who is vice president of RoSecroft "Ive tried still am
trying to drive after the fashion him. But
know I'll do it. About my only consolation that
very few others will be able to do it,"
Johnny Miller remember, was an accomplished athlete
in Washington not too many years crack baseball and
basketball player But when it to handling
judging pace and driving hole when appeared
was his Dad who had the magic touch.
= WILLIAM MILLER GENERALLY is credited with having
been the first to envon modern harness track with par
mutue betting Maryland He wasn't the first however
open the postwar days. necessary materials were
difficult to obtain and rather than with incomplete
Miller waited and Laurel became the
"senior" track.
When he could and did build, it neat layout Then
Enthusiastically he turned the burden of
to Johnny The old genemans primary enthusiasm rested
not in operations but in breeding training and racing
did permit to drive his horses at his
track, but Miller drove nearly everywhere The
Grand Circuit was familiar to him. the small county
fair ova One year at Doyestown, Pa he all of days
IL heats, feat believed to be unprecedented
Yesterday, when he stricken he wasn't counting on
calling day in Delaware Indeed no. Miller already had
announced himself the driver of his $35 PAGER Hsoa
In the Baltimore Raceways $4,000 Invitation hours
later. Naturally the horse scratched.
1T WAS At YEARS AGO that the harness bug really bit
Miller This day at the old Brghtwood track when
that section of Georgia truly rural He drove
horse called Kushan to victory in free-for-a It was
Mllers first and Kushan the only trotter in field
otherwise consisting of PAGERS.
That did it. AS he prospered in the furniture business
he invested heavily in his Rosecrof at Oxon HILL Md
and in his breeding and buying ventures Ironically Mers
gold silks familiar for in parts
the country before harness racing introduced
: to his home base.
There of knowing how trotters and
William Miller Bred raised purchased raced during his
lifetime There approximately 200 his farm now,
which said to be annual average, but there
question in his mind which pair the greatest One
named Symbol Gantle, the other Henry Volo.
SYMBOL GANTLE, STILL alive at Rosecroft raced some
Is years ago. Did mile in 2:09 2year-old and cut it
down to 2:0 In rs starts Symbol in the money II
times The horse and is held Of the great
"outcros stations which that he did not the
blood Of Peter the Great Axworhy whose lines extend to
most of the good trotters and PAGERS
Henry Volo, PAGER 2-minue miller and possibly
lers all time avorite. Not long ago. at the age of g.
broke at Rosecro Darn broke Mr. Mers heart,
too" confded intimate friend Notice the of two
the big $4,000 stakes at Rosecro? One is the Symbol
Gante' other the Henry Volo.
"r Miller thought awful lot Of good, game horses,
especially when they his And If they could
he could drive em."
OBITUARY Page B-S)