by Timothy M. Jones, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Springfield, IL — Enemy At The Gate could have been more aptly named Diamond In The Rough since being purchased by Julie and Andy Miller.

The Millers were very surprised at the January Meadowlands Sale to find that there was little or no interest in a horse with a ton of back class and a sub-1:50 record. The Cole Muffler gelding was stuck at the $5,000 plateau when Julie thought they should go ahead and take the gamble. A couple of bids later, they were the new owners when the gavel resounded finally at $7,500.

Timothy M. Jones photo

Enemy At The Gate has 23 lifetime wins and $319,624 in earnings to his credit.

As a 3-year-old in Illinois, Enemy At The Gate won 14 of 20 starts, which included win streaks of five and eight races. He garnered purse earnings that exceeded the $180,000 mark and sped to a lifetime mark in August of 2004 in the Illinois State Fair Colt Stakes final, in a then stakes record of 1:49.2. By the end of the year however, the horse would be off in a hind leg that would require surgical repair, and then a struggle of nearly two years to return to the racetrack.

Making only six purse starts in 2005, he made breaks in five of those, earning a meager $1,360. 2006 was even less kind as the horse made four purse starts with no earnings to show for his efforts.

But what a difference a year and change of scenery can make! The horse appears sound and healthy once again, racing at The Meadowlands for the Andy Miller Stable.

Enemy At The Gate made two starts in conditioned events early this year, winning one and finishing second in the other just to get acclimated. Since those starts, he’s raced primarily in the $40,000 claiming ranks, with one foray into a $50,000 claimer. Of those races, he’s won six of 11, finishing second on four occasions.

With Andy handling the driving chores, the big gelding has developed a knack for kicking off cover late and passing horses in the lane to either win, or be nipped by a nose or a head.

Floating away from the gate to establish early position, even though he can “leave a hundred” according to Julie, Andy normally establishes a strategy that races the horse in the outer flow up the backstretch, then kicks off cover into the stretch, leaving a vapor trail the rest of the field struggles to match while exploding for the wire.

“He motors home pretty good,” understated Andy. “He’s a big powerful horse with a pretty good late kick; very versatile also. Since he can close so well, usually, if he’s close, he’ll be there at the finish.”

After two years of frustration and a lot of hard work, why is he so good now?

“Because he was making breaks, I treated him like a baby when we got him,” explained Julie. “I kept the hobbles on him and jogged him four miles every day.

“When I first got him, he wasn’t really lame. He just seemed like he needed some re-education. I went back to the drawing board with him; wanted to make sure he was comfortable in the harness and not pulling.”

Andy and Julie both are quick to credit former trainers Tom and Benita Simmons, and current groom Romero Navas for the big turnaround. Julie thought that without Tom and Benita having the horse in what she considered “stakes condition,” the horse could not have had the early 2007 success he’s had.

“Knowing how much time and effort Tom and Benita put into this horse, I was just hoping we could rekindle some of their success by buying him,” said Julie.

Plus, Navas dotes on the horse as if he was his own child. Anything “Enemy” wants, “Enemy” gets. Whether it’s a drink of cold water, feet soaking, or a leg rub, Romero makes sure that his charge is well cared for.

“I think we got a lucky find, and he’s peaking at the right time,” continued Julie. “As long as he’s telling me he can race every week, or every other week, I’m going to keep going with him.

“We really did find a diamond in the rough at the sale. We were very lucky.”