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‘I Never Imagined Getting A Champion’: Hill Reflects On Channel Maker’s Eclipse Season

Randy Hill's perseverance over two decades of owning thoroughbreds was rewarded this week when his multiple Grade 1-winner Channel Maker was crowned 2020 Champion Turf Male at Thursday's Eclipse Awards.

Owned by Hill's R.A. Hill Stable in partnership with Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Gary Barber and Wachtel Stable, Channel Maker posted two gate-to-wire Grade 1 victories on the NYRA circuit in 2020 with triumphs in the Sword Dancer Invitational at Saratoga and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park, the latter of which he also won in 2018.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the Ontario-bred son of 2007 Champion Turf Male English Channel capped off his Eclipse Award-winning season with a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland, where he replicated his career-best 108 Beyer Speed Figure earned in his previous two races.

“When I first got in the game, I just wanted to win a Grade 1 or two, but I never imagined getting a champion,” Hill said.

The racing bug bit Hill at a young age when attending the races at Monmouth Park with his mother. But it wasn't until 2000 that the mutual fund owner and financial services executive ventured into buying racehorses. Among the first horses he purchased was a Broad Brush colt by the name of Maybry's Boy, with the hope of eventually having a horse good enough to run at Saratoga.

“I named him after my mother. Her name was Maybry and I was her boy,” Hill said.

Maybry's Boy went on to win the Grade 3 Spectacular Bid in 2002 at Gulfstream Park in the first start of his 3-year-old campaign, and it didn't take long for Hill to get hooked.

“Maybry's Boy was the favorite in the Kentucky Derby futures book after the Spectacular Bid. I thought, 'Oh this game isn't that hard,'” Hill recalled with a laugh.

Although Maybry's Boy never did see graded stakes success after the Spectacular Bid, Hill stayed in the ownership game enjoying success with graded stakes winner Devil's Preacher and dual stakes winner and graded stakes placed turf sprinter Fiddlers Patriot, who gave Hill his first stakes winner on the NYRA circuit when taking the 2012 Willard Straight at Saratoga.

Even then, Hill said owning a multiple Grade 1-winning champion seemed far-fetched.

“I had about a year and a half where I had maybe one winner and I kept on getting all these bills,” Hill recalled.

The past few years have certainly been more prosperous for Hill, who began partnering with several other owners in campaigning top-class horses. In addition to Channel Maker, he owned last year's Grade 1 Runhappy Carter and Grade 1 Runhappy Met Mile winner Vekoma in partnership with Mike Gatsas' Gatsas Stables.

The son of Candy Ride was a finalist for Champion Sprinter, which was won by Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Whitmore. Vekoma is currently standing his first year at stud at B. Wayne Hughes' Spendthrift Farm.

Hill is also a part owner of multiple graded stakes winner Tax and New York-bred stakes winner Funny Guy.

“This year, to get an Eclipse champion, and a horse like Vekoma to become a stallion prospect and win multiple Grade 1 races has just been incredible,” Hill said.

Hill credits jockey Manny Franco for helping Channel Maker improve last season. Following his pair of front-running Grade 1 wins, Channel Maker was again forwardly placed in the Breeders Cup Turf and held a 2 1/2-length lead at the stretch call only giving way in the shadow of the wire when a length back of the victorious Tarnawa and edged a nose for second by Magical.

“Manny really fit him like a glove and turned him around by putting him on the front end,” Hill said. “Also, English Channel horses get better with age. That said, I was expecting him to get better. I always believed that he would get better. I really thought in the Breeders Cup that we were home. He got beat for second by a whisker against two of the best turf horses in the world.”

Hill said he is hoping Channel Maker can pick up where he left off in his 2021 bow, which could take place in either the $2.5 million Long Distance Turf Handicap or the $1 million Middle Distance Turf Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Saudi Arabia on February 20. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez will pilot Channel Maker in his first venture outside of North America.

“That's no step down,” Hill said of Velazquez taking the irons. “He's one of the smartest riders I've been around, and no one studies the form like him. I have all the confidence in the world in Johnny. We have a Hall of Fame jockey and a Hall of Fame trainer going to Saudi running for millions.”

Hill said he was over the moon to hear the news of Channel Maker's Eclipse Award and celebrated exactly how one expects an avid wine collector would.

“I couldn't imagine Channel Maker wouldn't get it,” Hill said. “But we were thrilled. When I found out he won, I opened a big bottle of Chambertin.”

The thrill of victory is something that Hill relishes and he said it's even more special to experience such euphoria alongside partners that he calls friends.

“I'm not a huge owner so that many Grade 1 wins is a lot,” Hill said. “I've been having fun again and I love the game. I love being in it and I love the people around it. I'm very fortunate to have good partners in Dean Reeves, Mike Gatsas and of course Gary Barber and Adam Wachtel. We've all gotten a long very well.”

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Tax Team Hoping Perseverance In Pegasus World Cup Will Finally Pay Off

No owners have supported Gulfstream Park's Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational program more than Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and R.A. Hill Stable.

With Tax in Saturday's $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) for the second straight year, Dean and Patti Reeves and Randy Hill will have competed in the headliner four of the five years since the stakes was transformed from the Donn Handicap into one of the world's most lucrative races for older horses. The only year the partners weren't in the Pegasus, they were represented in the 2019 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) with Channel Maker.

Now, they just need to hit the board for the first time in a Pegasus event. Tax finished ninth last year after stumbling badly at the start of the 2020 edition. He's raced only twice since, finishing fifth in the May 2 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) and returning from a 7 1/2-month hiatus for a dominating front-running 4 1 /2-length victory in Gulfstream Park's Harlan's Holiday (G3) Dec. 12. Luis Saez has the return mount for the Pegasus.

“I think he's as good as anybody in the race, and I think we'll be very competitive,” said Dean Reeves, who campaigns his large stable with wife, Patti. “I think this is the best shot for Randy and I, hopefully, to get some of our money back that we put into the Pegasus. Because we've had a horse in it every year since they started it, and maybe perseverance will pay off for us.”

Trainer Danny Gargan claimed Tax out of a $50,000 maiden claiming race in his second career start with owner Hugh Lynch. Gargan offered part of the horse to Reeves and Hill, but they decided they had enough horses and weren't interested. After Tax finished third in Aqueduct's 2018 Remsen Stakes (G2), “We called Danny up and said, 'We just became interested,'” Dean Reeves recalled with a laugh.

The gelded son of the late Claiborne Farm stallion Arch has been a terrific acquisition, including winning Aqueduct's Withers (G3) in his next start for his new owners and taking second in the 2019 Wood Memorial (G2) to land in the Kentucky Derby (G1). While he languished home 15th in a quagmire that day, Tax rebounded to be a close fourth in the Belmont Stakes (G1) and went on to capture Saratoga's Jim Dandy (G2). If he finishes in the top seven in the Pegasus, he'll become a millionaire.

After the Oaklawn fifth-place performance that Gargan says was deceptively good, Tax was given time off with the goal of pointing to the Breeders' Cup. A particularly untimely temperature kept him out of a Breeders' Cup prep race, with the Pegasus then becoming the objective.

“It seems like the best thing we did was giving him some time over the summer,” Dean Reeves said. “He ran as good as we've ever seen him run in the Harlan's Holiday.”

Gargan, who could win his first Grade 1 race in the Pegasus, agrees.

“He's doing tremendous,” he said. “The time off helped him grow up. He's a better horse than he used to be. I think this year is going to be the best of his career. He's bigger, he's stronger, he's doing better, eats better. He looks phenomenal. When he was a young horse, he had some issues, little things that plagued him through his 3-year-old year that have gone away with time and the layoff.”

The Reeveses were fairly new to horse racing, and definitely new to the sport's top echelon, when they bought into a 2-year-old named Mucho Macho Man, whose eventual nine victories and $5.6 million in earnings included the 2013 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Santa Anita. He also finished third in the 2011 Kentucky Derby.

If the Reeveses quickly were at the top of the sport, they subsequently learned how difficult that is to achieve.

“I want to say it was five years before I won a graded stakes again,” Dean Reeves said. “I thought you just go down there and buy you another one, and they're going to be like Mucho Macho Man. It really showed me what a great accomplishment that horse had in his career, what he was able to accomplish with [trainer] Kathy (Ritvo) and the work everybody did. I realized five years later, when Classic Rock won a Grade 3, just how difficult it was. Looking back, it's tough to win a Grade 1. Those are few and far between.”

Mucho Macho Man got better with age, and Dean Reeves believes the same is true for Tax.

“I understand how everybody has to look at it financially,” he said of deals with stud farms. “But we're retiring some of these horses well in advance of them reaching their full potential. I think I saw that in Mucho Macho Man. He ran well as a 4-year-old, finishing second in the Breeders' Cup, but then won it as a 5-year-old.

“I see a lot of similarities between Mucho Macho Man and Channel Maker, how as they've gotten older how they've gotten so much better,” he added. “And I think they become so mentally tough. I just think Tax is going to have a tremendous year, and I hope we run well in the Pegasus.”

Reeves and Hill finished eighth in the 2017 Pegasus with Breaking Lucky and 12th in 2018 with Toast of New York, while Channel Maker was fifth in the 2019 Pegasus Turf, sparking Reeves to quip, “I'd have loved to have had Mucho Macho Man run in it.”

Mucho Macho Man was sent to stud at age 7 in 2015, his subsequent progeny including 2020 Pegasus World Cup winner Mucho Gusto. With both Tax and the 7-year-old gelding Channel Maker, a leading contender to be voted 2020's male turf champion, Reeves doesn't have to worry about a stallion career.

“Let me tell you: I used to go, 'Oh, it's a gelding. I don't want him,'” Reeves said. “Now, to have a gelding that can run and win money for you for four or five years is great. For Tax, we may run in the Pegasus three times with him or three more times. We may go to Dubai or Saudi Arabia with him. A lot of his competition is retired, so having a good gelding is not a bad deal.

“Channel Maker's another gelding. Look, it isn't all about being a stallion. I mean, we're in it for the races. Hey, if we can win it, they still pay you,” he added.

While Mucho Macho Man retired from the track to a palatial stud home, first at Adena Springs and now at Hill 'n' Dale Farms, most horses don't have such post-racing guarantees. The Reeves' are big supporters of the nonprofit Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, which accredits, inspects and awards grants to its approved aftercare organizations to retrain, retire and adopt out horses using industry-wide funding.

“It's important to make sure retired horses get a good home,” Dean Reeves said. “When you buy them, you think they're all going to be superstars. Some obviously have more talent than others, but that doesn't mean they're not trying. They become like family. When they do leave the nest, so to speak, you want to make sure who they're going to, keeping the (registration) papers so they don't race anymore, just doing your due diligence.

“We've gotten as much satisfaction seeing some of our horses come back as great dressage horses or eventing horses, where people send us pictures of them when they've won ribbons and awards. We just love that. We take a lot of pride in seeing them where they access in a second career,” he added.

The Reeveses also are supporters of accredited TAA facilities such as New Vocations in Lexington, Ky., and South Carolina's Equine Rescue of Aiken and other organizations. They are among the horse owners committing a percentage of any Breeders' Cup earnings, such as Channel Maker's third in the $4 million Longines Turf, to the TAA.

“Patti and Dean Reeves have been very successful in Thoroughbred racing, and they really do care about their horses long term,” said TAA operations consultant Stacie Clark Rogers. “Their stable has been very supportive of the TAA and of our TAA accredited organizations.”

Florida consultant Jay Stone and trainer Kathy Ritvo are instrumental in helping the Reeveses find new homes for their equine retirees. Patti Reeves says she works to spread their horses around and find the best match, including what its new career might be.

She points to Mac Daddy Mac as a prime example. The Reeveses purchased the colt after he won his debut at Santa Anita at 40-1 odds, finishing second in a Grade 3 stakes in his next start. A throat issue compromised his ability, and Mac Daddy Mac was ultimately retired after three more races spread over his 3- and 4-year-old seasons. Now he's finding success in the show world, with equestrian Ashley Keller retraining Mac Daddy Mac into an eventing horse at Chattahoochee Hills Eventing near Atlanta, where the Reeveses live.

“He was a great horse, just loved his job, had great personality,” Patti Reeves said. “We found a new home for him in the Atlanta area at Chattahoochee Hills Eventing. (Keller) taught him dressage, jumping, eventing. What she has done with this horse is amazing. He's just a great example of a horse that just because he couldn't race, he wasn't done. You're involved in racing, but that's just a short part of their life. We care about the entire program for the horse. We don't want to just be good to the horse while they're racing. We want to make sure they end up in good places and are treated well.”

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Vekoma Likely to Miss Forego

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.–Though he has recovered from a leg issue that interrupted his training schedule, two-time Grade I winner Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}) looks to be a long shot to compete in the GI Forego S. Aug. 29.

Trainer George Weaver said Friday said the 4-year-old colt, co-owned by Randy Hill’s R.A. Hill Stable and Gatsas Stables, was “50-50” to make the seven-furlong Forego. Vekoma has been treated for an abscess in the coronet band of his left front leg and has not had a timed work since his 1 1/4-length victory in the GI Met Mile July 4 at Belmont Park.

“It’s not looking promising right now,” Weaver said. “I need to get a work in him, and it’s a day-to-day thing. He has a little abscess. We are just about ready to do something with him, but it’s a day-to-day decision.”

Weaver said if Vekoma does not make the Forego, he would likely be pointed toward the six-furlong GI Vosburgh S. Sept. 26 at Belmont Park. The Vosburgh is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge, “Win and You’re In” series of races that guarantees a fees-paid entry and travel expenses. Vekoma already has won two Breeders’ Cup Challenge races: the GI Carter S. for a berth in the Sprint and the Met Mile for the Dirt Mile.

Weaver said that Vekoma, unbeaten in three starts this year and a winner of six of eight in his career, has been going to the track for his morning exercise.

“He has galloped the last few days,” Weaver said. “He is moving good now. The faster you go, the more it may aggravate that tissue, so it’s just a matter of me getting to the point where I think he can put some speed work on it.”

Though Vekoma was given the rest of the year off after the 2019 GI Kentucky Derby–where he was moved up to 12th from 13th by the DQ of Maximum Security (New Year’s Day)–Weaver said the chestnut has not had many problems during his three seasons of competition.

“He grabbed a quarter when he was 3-year-old,” Weaver said. “All horses have issues from time to time. We ask them to be athletes and it’s part of the game. He is a very, very good horse.”

Hill praised Weaver and said that missing the Forego with Vekoma–whom he expects will be the Eclipse Award-winning sprinter– was not a big deal. Funny Guy (Big Brown), a Hill-Gatsas-Swick Stable horse trained by John Terranova, is a probable for the Forego.

“I think that George has managed this horse perfectly,” Hill said. “Sometimes you get frustrated as an owner. I always let the trainer do their job. If you look at the way that George has handled this horse, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t think any other trainer would have this horse where he is now.”

Noting that Vekoma was a May foal, Hill said the decision to put him away after the Derby made sense and has yielded a top 4-year-old.

“George gave him the time off to come back and be a big, strong man,” Hill said. “So if George thinks he needs a little more time…. I think if we don’t make the Forego, George is talking about the Vosburgh, which I kind of like, because it’s six furlongs. We can see how he reacts again at six furlongs. We haven’t seen him at six in a long time. Then we’ve got the choice of six or the mile. I’ve got Funny Guy in the Forego. Of course, my dream is that Funny Guy wins the (BC Dirt Mile) and Vekoma wins the (BC Sprint) and I win two races.”

Vekoma won the GII Blue Grass S. in 2019 and is no stranger to two-turn races, but Hill sees him as more of a sprinter/miler-type now and said it is unlikely he would go to the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

“We do what we do best,” he said. “I think we will be sprinter of the year. I think we are now. Everybody loves Volatile (Violence), but I can’t wait to race against him. I think Vekoma will tie him in a knot. I do. I think he’s a good horse. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a very nice horse, but I want to see when he comes up against some good horses. You look at what Vekoma did in the Met Mile. He was turning for home and five Grade I horses swallowed him up and he just re-engaged. I haven’t seen anything like that in a long time. I don’t think anybody can beat us. I don’t say that. I’m pretty realistic as an owner.”

All five of Funny Guy’s victories have come against New York-bred company and Hill said the Forego will be a good test for the 4-year-old colt.

‘We’ll see how he does,” Hill said. “We’ve got to find out about this horse. He’s a New York-bred. Everybody says he hasn’t faced anything yet. He’s a New York-bred, let’s go and look. John said ‘let’s see how good we are.’ He’s training great. He’s getting better and better.”

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‘It Just Gives Me Goosebumps’: Co-Owner Of Vekoma Recounts Big Win

Owner Randy Hill was still on cloud nine Sunday morning, the day after Vekoma went gate-to-wire in the Grade 1, $500,000 Runhappy Met Mile at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

“What a horse,” an emphatic Hill said. “I'll never own another horse like this. I've watched the race about 20 times and it just gives me goosebumps. I really wish I could have been there, but I'd rather win than be there and lose them.”

Owned by Hill in partnership with Gatsas Stables, Vekoma's win earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure. Vekoma controlled the pace before being confronted around the far turn. He shook off his competition when asked by Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano and drew off to a 1 1/4-length score, keeping his record as a 4-year-old unblemished in three starts for trainer George Weaver.

Prior to the Runhappy Met Mile, Vekoma won the Sir Shackleton at Gulfstream Park in his 2020 debut before an impressive 7 1/4-length win in the Grade 1 Runhappy Carter on June 6 at Belmont Park, netting a 110 Beyer.

The Grade 1, $300,000 Forego presented by America's Best Racing on August 29 at Saratoga Race Course could be the next start for Vekoma, Hill said.

Hill also mentioned the possibility of Vekoma training up to the Breeders' Cup World Championships on November 6-7 at Keeneland Race Course.

Vekoma has earned an automatic entry into both the Breeders' Cup Sprint and the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile when taking the Runhappy Carter and Runhappy Met Mile, which are both Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” events.

“I think he's the best older horse in the country,” Hill said. “George is thinking about the Forego or training right up to the Breeders' Cup and we leave all of that up to him. The horse will tell us. He's such a warrior.”

Blair Golen, who oversees Weaver's Belmont string, reported that the Runhappy Met Mile hero emerged from Saturday's triumph in good shape.

“He came out of it in good order,” Golen said. “What impressed me last time and this time was that he wasn't that tired. When he ran here at seven furlongs, he recovered fast and was really on the muscle, and it was the same again this time too.”

Bred in Kentucky by Alpha Delta Stables, Vekoma is by multiple-champion producing stallion Candy Ride out of the Speightstown broodmare Mona de Momma who, like Vekoma, also was a Grade 1-winner going seven furlongs.

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