I was saddened this past weekend to hear of the death of Kimberley racehorse trainer, Peter Miller. Peter and I served on the Racing Association together and every time he opened his mouth I listened very carefully, because you either learned something or were entertained. He was a tremendously funny and controversial man and I had the pleasure of often sitting at the same table as him on big race days, where, despite the fact that he was a great studier of form, he never seemed to tip me any winners, but could keep one entertained for 5 or 6 hours.

It really was a shock to hear of his death and it is a tremendous blow, not only to his family of course, but to everyone who knew him and particularly to racing in Kimberley, where very few people appreciated what he did behind the scenes, whether it was negotiating with farmers to use part of their land for the race track or sorting out and improving the surface of the track and it will be extremely hard for someone else to fill his shoes.