Trainer Allen Milligan

Born: 07/07/1964; Celina, Texas

Resides: Arlington, Texas

Family: Unmarried 

In a spirited 2009 training race at Oaklawn, Allen Milligan nipped Steve Asmussen by a single winner to carry off the crown with 24 winners. The race came down to final day of the meeting. 

Milligan, born July 7, 1964 in Celina, TX, saddled 165 starters at the meeting. 

A year earlier, Allen won 10 races for the entire Oaklawn season,             

“I had a lot more horses here in 2009,” said the trainer. “I had some 40 head at the track and others at David Whited’s Farm.”           

Milligan mentioned there is a lot of esprit de corps at the barn and his entire crew anxiously awaited the 2009 meeting getting underway. 

“We were all sitting on ready.  As well, we had some luck along with it. Some races in the book that we had horses far, filled and we drew in.  For months, my assistant trainer kept saying to me, ‘get us more horses!” mentioned Milligan.           

Allen came up with the horses. 

Milligan was asked of one particular horse that really came into his own during the Spa meet, the trainer named Que Paso, third place finisher to Prom Shoes and Golden Yank in the $100,000 Essex.           

Allen frequently has a runner in his stable. Fans will remember Irish Milligan, Mucho Bold and Kid Magic.  

“Irish Milligan earned some $450, 000. Mucho Bold, an Arkansas-bred, developed into a three-year-old champion at Sam Houston,” Allen noted.              

Allen is a third generation horseman.            

There are a lot of Frank Brothers and Jack Van Berg styles of training in Milligan.           

“I came out under Frank. I was with him five years, much of it as assistant trainer. Of course, Frank came out under Jack. In fact, Frank and Bill Mott were with Jack at the same time,” said Milligan.           

Milligan recalled that he saddled his first career winner in 1988, it coming at Churchill with a horse named Victory Flyer.