Michael E. "Buster" Millerick (November 30, 1905 – September 30, 1986) was an American

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

trainer.

Early life

Michael "Buster" Millerick was born in

Petaluma, California Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its population was 59,776 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

. He learned to train horses at his cousin's ranch in Schellville where Larson Family Winery is located today. The Millerick family raised horses, ran the largest rodeo stock line in California and operated a

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

. Buster's uncles Tom, Jack and George also trained thoroughbred racehorses.

Career

Buster Millerick began working as a professional trainer while in his twenties. Shortly after

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious race ...

opened in

Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of t ...

in 1934, Millerick was hired to condition horses for Charles Howard and would work under head trainer Tom Smith when the stable acquired

Seabiscuit Seabiscuit (May 23, 1933 – May 17, 1947) was a champion thoroughbred racehorse in the United States who became the top money-winning racehorse up to the 1940s. He beat the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, by four lengths in a two-hors ...

in 1936. In 1940, Millerick won his first major race for the Howard stable when Yankee Dandy captured the

California Breeders' Champion Stakes California Breeders' Champion Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1935 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Run during the last week of December, the seven Furlong race is open to two-year-old horses bred in ...

. Buster Millerick avoided the limelight as much as possible. In a July 2005 story on Native Diver, the

California Thoroughbred Breeders Association The California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA), founded in 1937, is a non-profit organization committed to the advancement of thoroughbred breeding and racing in California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western Unite ...

quotes stable owner and Millerick client Louis K. Shapiro as saying that "you never saw him illerickin a winner's circle photograph." During his career, Buster Millerick trained a number of racehorses including DeCourcy Graham's Kissin' George and Verne Winchell's

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world champi ...

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...

, Mira Femme. He was the trainer of Mr. & Mrs. Louis K. Shapiro's U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Native Diver. A

gelding A gelding (Help:IPA/English, /ˈɡɛldɪŋ/) is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. The term is also used with certain other animals and livestock, such as domesticated Camelidae, camels. By compa ...

, Native Diver won thirty-four stakes races from age two through age eight, including a three straight editions of the

Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes is a Grade II American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in May. The race currently offers a purse of $200,000 ...

, and was the first California-bred to earn a million dollars in racing.

Death and legacy

After a short illness, Millerick died at age eighty on September 30, 1986, at Methodist Hospital in

. In 2010, Millerick was voted into the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred horse racing, Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and Horse trainer, trainers. In 1955, the museum ...

.ESPN - June 9, 2010
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Millerick, Buster 1905 births 1986 deaths People from Petaluma, California American racehorse trainers United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees