Hill Prince (1947–1970) was an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

. He was one of the leading American two-year-olds of 1949, alongside

Oil Capitol Oil Capitol (1947–1959) was an American Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. Background Oil Capitol, a dark gray colt, was bred by the Widener family's Elmendorf Farm in Fayette County, Kentucky. He was sired by the French-bred runner Mahmo ...

and

Middleground Middleground (April 22, 1947 – February 16, 1972) "Grave Matters Farm Index North America" (horse graves), Thoroughbred Heritage, 2005, webpage: was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1950 Kentucky Derby and Belmont S ...

. In 1950, he ran fifteen times, winning races including the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () on ...

Wood Memorial Stakes The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. It is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. The Wood Memori ...

Withers Stakes The Withers Stakes is a Graded stakes race, Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three years old horses over the distance of miles on the dirt scheduled annually in February at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York (state), New York. T ...

American Derby The American Derby is a Thoroughbred horse race in the United States run annually at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The inaugural American Derby was held at Chicago's old Washington Park Race Track on the city's South Side and rac ...

Jockey Club Gold Cup The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It has traditionally been the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the sp ...

Jerome Handicap The Jerome Stakes is a stakes race for thoroughbred horses run each January at Aqueduct Racetrack. Open to three year olds, the race is run at one mile and carries a purse of $150,000. It is a Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying race, with the wi ...

and Sunset Handicap and being named

American Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to sanction the various awards, "Hor ...

. Hill Prince raced for two further seasons and had some success despite a number of injuries and training problems. He later became a moderately successful breeding stallion.

Background

Hill Prince was a bay horse sired by

Princequillo Princequillo (1940–1964) was a Thoroughbred racehorse conceived in France and born in Ireland. He is known for his performances in long-distance races and his successes as a sire. Background His sire, Prince Rose, stood at the Haras de Cheff ...

, a leading racehorse who became a highly successful breeding stallion. Hill Prince was one of his first crop of foals. His dam Hildene went on to produce First Landing, the

American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when the ''Daily Racing F ...

of 1958. The colt was bred in at his owner

Christopher Chenery Christopher Chenery (September 16, 1886 – January 3, 1973) was an American engineer, businessman, and the owner/breeder of record for Thoroughbred horse racing's U.S. Triple Crown champion Secretariat. Early life and career Christopher C ...

's Meadow Farm stud near Doswell,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Hill Prince was trained for Chenery by J. H. "Casey" Hayes.

Racing career

1949: two-year-old season

At age two Hill Prince won six of the first seven races he entered, his only defeat coming when he failed to recover from a poor start in the

Sapling Stakes The Sapling Stakes is an American Ungraded Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early September at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey. Open to 2-year-olds, it was raced on dirt over a distance of six furlongs for a current purse of $100,000 ...

. At

Aqueduct Race Track Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park and Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack located within New York City limits. Its racing ...

in September he won the

Cowdin Stakes The Cowdin Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually from 1923 through 2005 at Aqueduct Racetrack and at Belmont Park which at one time was a Grade 1 event. Background The Cowdin was first run in 1923 as the Junior Champion Sta ...

to establish himself as one of the season's leading juveniles, coming from last place on a muddy track to win by two and a half lengths from Selector in a track record time of 1:16.6. At the end of the year he was voted

, in the ''

Daily Racing Form The ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) (referred to as the ''Racing Form'' or "Form" and sometimes "telegraph" or "telly") is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois, by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of race ...

'' poll. In the rival ''Turf and Sport Digest'' poll he was narrowly defeated by Oil Capitol, while Middleground was top-rated in the

Experimental Free Handicap The Jockey Club is the breed registry for Thoroughbred horses in the United States and Canada. It is dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing and fulfills that mandate by serving many segments of the industry through its s ...

1950: three-year-old season

From the start of the 1950 season, Hill Prince was regarded as one of the main contenders for the Triple Crown races, along with

, and the Californian colt

Your Host Your Host (1947–1961) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Foaled in California, he was by the imported British stallion Alibhai out of the Irish mare Boudoir by the French stallion Mahmoud. Bred in the stables of Louis B. Mayer (head of ...

. On his seasonal debut he won the Experimental Handicap No. 1 at Jamaica, leading to him being promoted to challenge Oil Capitol as Derby favorite. Two weeks later, however, he finished ninth behind lightly weighted Lotowhite in the Experimental Handicap No. 2 at the same track. Less than a week after this effort, Hill Prince re-established his position at the head of the Derby contenders with a two-length win over a strong field, including Middleground, in the

Wood Memorial The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. It is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. The Wood Memoria ...

. Ridden by

Eddie Arcaro George Edward Arcaro (February 19, 1916 – November 14, 1997), was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Tripl ...

in the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

, Hill Prince finished second to Middleground. A week after his defeat in the Derby, Hill Prince reversed the form with Middleground when beating the Derby winner by one and a half lengths in the

at Belmont. Following this victory, Hill Prince started favorite for the

and recorded a decisive win over Middleground, drawing away in the straight to win by five lengths from the "Texas Terror" in front of a crowd of 30,000. Shortly after his win in the Preakness, Hill Prince was matched against older horses in the

Suburban Handicap The Suburban Stakes is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is now run at the mile distance on dirt for a $700,000 purse. Named after the City and Su ...

and finished third to Loser Weeper, having reportedly bled from his nostrils at the finish. In the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

Hill Prince fought Eddie Arcaro's attempts to restrain him and took the lead in the early stages but tired badly towards the finish and finished seventh to Middleground. Later in June, Hill Prince started favorite for the

Dwyer Stakes The Dwyer Stakes is an American Grade III stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred racehorses held annually at Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, Long Island, New York. Run in early July, it is open to three-year-old horses and is raced over a ...

and led by three lengths entering the straight, but was overtaken in the closing stages and beaten one and a half lengths by Greek Song. In August, Hill Prince faced a field including Your Host in the

and displayed "blistering speed" in the last six furlongs to win by one and a half lengths from All Blue. In September, he won the

. As usual, he was towards the back of the field in the early stages before producing a "sensational" run to take the lead in the straight and win easily. In the

over two miles at Belmont in October, Hill Prince established his position as the best horse in America as he "cakewalked" to a four length victory over the Irish-bred Noor. In November, Hill Prince was sent to California to take on Your Host on the latter's home ground in the Thanksgiving Day Handicap and was beaten in a photo finish in front of "40,000 howling fans". Hill Prince stayed in California for his last two starts of the year: he finished third to Noor in the

Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in May. The race currently offers a purse of $400,000. ...

and then won the Sunset Handicap, coming from the back of the field to overtake the champion filly

Next Move {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Next Move , image = , caption = , sire = Bull Lea , grandsire = Bull Dog , dam = Now What , damsire = Chance Play , sex = Filly , foaled = 1947 , country = United States , colour = Brown , breed ...

in the closing stages. At the end of the season, Hill Prince was selected as Horse of the Year in all three major polls (''

'', Thoroughbred Racing Association, ''Turf and Sport Digest'').

1951-1952: later career

In January 1951, Hill Prince sustained a broken bone in his right hind leg when being prepared for the Santa Anita Maturity and was forced to miss the first eight months of the season. In September, he returned to run third in an allowance race at

and then carried top weight to a five length victory in the New York Handicap at Belmont. In the following month Hill Prince failed to repeat his win in the Jockey Club Gold Cup when he was caught close to the finish and narrowly beaten by

Counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

. A week later, Hill Prince again finished fourth to Call Over in the

Trenton Handicap The Trenton Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Garden State Park Racetrack in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Open to horses age three and older, the race was contested on dirt at various distances during its tenure: * mil ...

. Hill Prince's performances were still good enough to be voted 1951's Handicap Horse of the Year in the ''Daily Racing Form'' and Thoroughbred Racing Association polls. The ''Turf and Sport Digest'' award was won by

Citation A citation is a reference to a source. More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression embedded in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic references section of the work for the purpose of ...

. As a five-year-old, Hill Prince won the

San Marcos Handicap The San Marcos Stakes is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late January or early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to horses aged four and older, it is raced on turf over a distance of one and o ...

at Santa Anita in February, but finished fifth when favorite for the

Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up and was once considered the most important race for old ...

. Subsequent examinations revealed "filling" in the horse's right foreleg and Hill Prince was retired to

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar ...

Stud record

Hill Prince stood at the

Claiborne Farm Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred horse breeding operation near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910 by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Stud in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since. ...

where he sired twenty-three stakes race winners including the 1957

American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ...

Bayou In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...

as well as

Coaching Club American Oaks The Coaching Club American Oaks is a race for thoroughbred three-year-old fillies and the second leg of the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing. Originally run at Belmont Park, the Grade I $500,000 stakes race was moved to Saratoga Race Course in 2 ...

winner

Levee A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually soil, earthen and that often runs parallel (geometry), parallel to ...

and the Gardenia Stakes winner Pepperwood. He was more important as a sire of broodmares and was the damsire of Hall of Fame horses,

Shuvee Shuvee (January 22, 1966 – April 1, 1986) was an American Thoroughbred Eclipse Award, Champion National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame horse racing, racehorse. Background Shuvee was a chestnut mare bred in Virginia by Whitney ...

and

Dark Mirage Dark Mirage (March 6, 1965 – July 9, 1969) was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. Racing career Dark Mirage was 15.1 hands high. In her 1967 campaign as a two-year-old, she had two minor wins in fifteen starts. As a ...

. Hill Prince died in 1970 and was interred at the Meadow Stud, next to

Sun Beau Sun Beau (1925 – c.1943) was an American Thoroughbred Champion Hall of Fame racehorse. Background Sun Beau was sired by Sun Briar. His damsire was Fair Play, who sired Man o' War. Racing career Racing as a two-year-old in 1927, Sun Beau d ...

. In 1991 Hill Prince was inducted into the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...

Pedigree

References

{{Preakness Stakes Winners 1947 racehorse births 1970 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Virginia Racehorses trained in the United States American Thoroughbred Horse of the Year American Champion racehorses United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees Preakness Stakes winners Thoroughbred family 9-b