Peter Miller aims for glory in Dubai with horses who escaped devastating California fire

US trainer Peter Miller is aiming for glory on Dubai World Cup night on Saturday with two horses who narrowly escaped with their lives in the devastating Lilac fire that caused death and devastation in California in December.

In all, 46 horses died in the blaze that ripped through San Luis Rey horse-training facility. Miller's Amalfi Drive, California Diamond, Doc Raj, Lizmeister and Los Borrachos were among those who lost their lives.

Three people at the facility were also injured. Trainer Martine Bellocq suffered burns to more than 50 per cent of her body trying to save horses. Joe Herrick, who suffered the loss of six horses, and an outrider, Les Baker, were also hurt rescuing the 500 animals based at San Luis Rey.

As the fire spread rapidly, stable staff opened the doors and let horses run to escape the fire as best they could. Miller's Conquest Tsunami and Richard’s Boy were among them. The former was not found for several days afterwards, while Richard’s Boy was discovered in a farm ten miles away.

Fortunately the pair were unscathed and on Saturday it will be back to business for them when they run in the $1million Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan.

An emotional Miller recalled those dreadful days of death and uncertainty to Racinguk.com at the UAE’s flagship racecourse on Tuesday.

“It was a nightmare,” he said. "A barn fire – I wouldn’t set that on my worst enemy. It is something you never want to go through and hopefully I never will again.

“It was traumatic. Some horses were in the clinic for a month with burns and smoke inhalation. Other horses were unscathed – it was a wide variety.

“Fortunately most of the horses that survived came back to run well and win.

“Horses are resilient. Trainers are resilient."

Amid the chaos and sadness, there was also global support. "The horse community around the world was extremely generous with their time and money and it was heartwarming," Miller said.

The trainer also fields Stormy Liberal, the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner up against Godolphin’s pair of 6-5 favourite Blue Point and stablemate at Charlie Appleby’s Jungle Cat.

Stormy Liberal beat Richard’s Boy by a whisker at Del Mar in November, but Stormy Liberal subsequently endured a terrible trip to Hong Kong where he finished down the field.

He was then beaten by Conquest Tsunami, who has only recently joined Miller and could well be the best of the trio on the night bow he has been switched from dirt to turf. Conquest Tsunami, who will be ridden by US Triple Crown-winning rider Victor Espinoza, is 20-1 with Ladbrokes.

The 51-year-old trainer has all but closed the door on any of his three turf sprinters running at Royal Ascot in June.

“I love turf sprints, I think they are the most exciting races and I like developing turf sprinters,” he said. “If I was on the East Coast I think I would be like Wesley Ward and go to Royal Ascot. It is that much more difficult on the West Coast as it is that extra six hours travel.

“You never say never. Training horses is a day at a time, so I don’t want to get ahead of myself and would enjoy racing at Ascot.

“When you are travelling around the world with these horses it takes its toll. Stormy Liberal has won the Breeders’ Cup. He’s then gone to Hong Kong, which didn’t work. He’s back to form, and now in Dubai so to say in two months we are now going to go to Ascot?

“I try to let the horse tell me. I wouldn’t put anything out of the realm. Conquest Tsunami would be the more likely horse, depending on how he runs here on Saturday night.”

This is a blossoming time for American turf sprinters. While the US has farmed the Dubai Golden Shaheen down the years, their speedballs are without a win in the turf equivalent.

Last year Bill Mott’s Long On Value went within a nose of finally bringing to an end the hoodoo.

Lady Aurelia savaged the best Europe could muster when she thrashed defending King’s Stand Stakes winner Profitable by three lengths at Royal Ascot in June and came agonisingly close to following up in the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes.

Stormy Liberal then beat stablemate Richard’s Boy in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar in November.

The first European horse home was Sir Mark Prescott’s Marsha, who was third in the King’s Stand, in sixth. Aidan O’Brien’s Washington DC was eighth and Cotai Glory finished ninth. The underperforming Lady Aurelia was tenth.

For the recent achievement, Miller called for the various American regulators to start digging deeper into those pockets to match the leading jurisdictions in the field.

“There really isn’t a lot of money for turf sprinters in America – it is a really underserved classification. Look at Australia with their $AUS10million Everest and you come to Dubai for a $US 1million sprint.

“Other than the Breeders’ Cup there are not really any Grade Ones for sprinters on the grass in the US.

“I think the only other large race would be the Jaipur at Belmont, which is the only other Turf Sprint and is about $US400,000. It really is an underserved and needs more support.”

Miller also saddles red-hot Dubai Golden Shaheen favourite Roy H, who is no better than 5-4 ahead of 2016 runner-up XY Jet at 4-1 and last year’s winner and hold-up performer Mind Your Biscuits at 5-1.

There were few more memorable sights at Del Mar in November of Miller shouting home the six-year-old son of More Than Ready, who warmed up with a facile success in the Palos Verdes Stakes at Santa Anita last month. He was still wearing the same 'lucky' straw hat here on Tuesday.

Roy H was given a breeze at Meydan on Tuesday morning by regular jockey Kent Desormeaux, and the Hall Of Fame rider was purring afterwards.

“I worked Richard’s Boy first and he is an absolute cruiser,” Desormeaux said.

“Roy H is a different animal. I have to sit on him and try to be Houdini and get him to magically go sub-37 seconds. The horse is very aggressive, he gets in to the bridle and wants to do it all for me right now and it was my job to slow him down.

"It is my job in the race to slow Roy H down. I spend more time trying to slow Roy H down than pushing him forward.

“When we came around the turn it looked like we were going to go through the front door of Meydan but then we cornered for home and we were just skiing down the lane. It was a very impressive exercise, perfect rhythm and silky smooth."