A few years ago, it was easy to spot Randy Hill at the racetrack. He was the cheerful, gray-haired guy in the owner’s box with the colorful, eye-catching shirt.
“It was just a phase with the wild T-shirts when I was hanging out with (TV analyst) Jonathon Kinchen. I don’t do that anymore. My wife (Marina) told me, ‘Enough with that stuff.’
Conversely, on race days in the Division 1 or major leagues, you’ll find this Wall Street professional wearing a GQ-worthy business suit—maybe even a morning coat.
“I have a lot of respect for the game so I dress appropriately for a level 1 tournament,” Hill said.
Today, that suit has been used a lot. Over the past few years, Hill has had an incredible career with his stable, a career that will culminate on August 24 with the $1.25 million Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Trackwhere he was one of the morning line favorites and winner of the Belmont Stakes (G1) Dornoch .
“It’s more than a good feeling. I’ve been around horses for a long time and I’m not a big guy like Mike Repole or Seth Klarman. I have a pretty big stable but you never think about things like this,” said Hill, a New Jersey resident who bought his first horse in 2000. “It’s hard to believe what I’ve done in the last two or three years. It’s like a dream.”
About seven years ago, Hill endured a year and a half without a win. He told his trainer, George Weaver, that he was ready to quit the sport. Then he won a $50,000 bonus.
“I’m back,” he said.
In recent years, with a stable of 30 horses with a companion in each, Hill has ridden a wave of brilliant success. He won the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot with Crimson Attorney last year when Weaver became the third American trainer to win the race at the world-famous competition. Hill resplendent in top hat and tails as he collected his winning trophy.
“It was unbelievable to me,” Hill said. “It was exciting to be involved in something that very few Americans have ever done.”
While that alone is great for most owners, it’s only part of an exciting journey.
A co-owner of trainer Bill Mott’s multiple Grade 1 winner and $3.9 million-earning horse Channel Maker for much of the 2020 champion jockey’s 2016-2023 career, Hill took Kentucky Derby (G1) by storm in 2019 when Vekoma which he owns with Gatsas Stable, won the Blue Grass Stakes (G1).
Tax who came in 14th place in that Run for the Roses—but was the son of Candy Trip Weaver has thrived as a sprinter, winning the 2020 Metropolitan Handicap (G1) and Carter Handicap (G1) before injury ended his career before the Breeders’ Cup.
“You start out hoping to win a Grade 1 and you get a horse of a lifetime like Vekoma and you’re so grateful. George did so well with him,” Hill said. “With a horse like that, you believe he’s the best horse you’ve ever owned.”
But now Hill is excited about his second “horse of a lifetime”, Dornoch, trained by Danny Gargan. A son of good magic and is the brother of the 2023 Kentucky Derby winner. Mage Dornoch joined his brother in becoming a classic winner as he repelled a long-running effort by frame of mind to win the Belmont on June 8 at Saratoga.
Bred by Grandview Equine from Big Brown The Puca mare, Dornoch, also won the Remsen Stakes (G2) at 2nd and the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) earlier this year. He won the Haskell (G1) in spectacular fashion on July 20 at Monmouth Park. Bought for $325,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Auction before his brother won the Kentucky Derby, he went on to earn $2,352,275 for the Hill ownership group, West Paces Racing, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Pine Racing and Two Eight Racing, owned by former pro Jayson Werth.
While Vekoma’s biggest wins came during the pandemic, when racetracks were closed to the public and Hill was forced to watch on television, this time he was able to enjoy the experience to the fullest.
“After Vekoma, having Dornoch was unbelievable,” Hill said. “Of all the horses I’ve owned, there’s no one like Dornoch. At Remsen, when they ran all those fast lines and he was leading, Sierra Leone passed him. And Dornoch came back and won. In all the years I’ve watched racing, horses like that never come back. But Dornoch just said, ‘No, no,’ and broke and won. It was the same at the Belmont. Mindframe had him, and then he was gone.”
For Hill, who regularly spends his summers at Saratoga, a win at the Travers would be another item on his wish list. And he is 5-2 odds on in a highly competitive eight-horse race that includes the fast, multiple Grade 1-winning mare Anna Thorpedo (3-1), 2-year-old champion Aggression (3-1), and Remsen runner-up Sierra Leone (7-2), finished second in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Belmont.
Randy Hill hugs trainer Danny Gargan after Dornoch’s win at the Belmont Stakes
“I’ve always dreamed of winning the Travers. My wife said if Dornoch won she’d have to tie me up,” said Hill. “I was confident but nervous. He’s never been better and he makes everything look so easy. He’s a great horse and it’s been a pleasure to have him.”
Hill had an unforgettable victory at Spa when Dornoch won the Belmont by 1 1/4 lengths, regained the position at odds of 17-1 after breaking away from the rail and endured a difficult road to finish 10th in the Kentucky Derby.
“It was amazing to win the Belmont at Saratoga, where I spend a lot of time. It brought me to tears,” Hill said. “Danny did an incredible job with him. He’s been dealing with a quarter-mile fracture his entire career, and Danny deserves a lot of credit for getting him ready between the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont.”
The Travers will likely be Dornoch’s penultimate race, as the owners group have a breeding agreement with Spendthrift Farm and the Good Magic colt will be sent to the stud after the Breeders’ Cup.
There he will join Vekoma, who has made an impressive start as a stallion this year with 16 first-place wins in his first year, including 12 on debut and four of those wins being black type.
“I’m very proud of Vekoma,” said Hill, who has three lifetime stakes with his former athlete. “I don’t know if he’s going to be a champion stallion, but it seems like all his horses look great and can run.”
Of course, before that there is the immediate concern of the Travers, which could cement Dornoch’s claim to the 3-year-old male championship and put the elegant Hill in full dressage for the Eclipse Award.
“I love this game and I respect this game and I can’t wait for Saturday,” Hill said. “It was a great experience with Dornoch and we’ll see what happens at the Travers. I was in tears when Vekoma retired and it will be the same with Dornoch.”
