Owner Randy Hill gearing up for a big day Saturday

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – When Maybry’s Boy won the Spectacular Bid Stakes at Gulfstream Park in the winter of 2002, his neophyte owner Randy Hill thought, “This game’s not that hard.”

Over the last 17 years, Hill, like most owners, has learned just how hard it can be to own horses. For all the difficult times, though, there is the anticipation for days like this coming Saturday that make it all worthwhile.

Saturday, Hill will be part-owner of three horses running in major Kentucky Derby preps and another in a high-class sprint stakes.

At Aqueduct, Hill will have two horses – Tax and Not That Brady – in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial. At Keeneland, Hill will be represented in the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes by Vekoma, who, Hill says simply, “is the best horse I’ve ever had.”

Also at Keeneland, Hill will be running Majestic Dunhill in the Grade 3 Commonwealth Stakes. Due to the importance of that horse to Hill’s wife, Marina, Randy Hill will be at Keeneland Saturday.

“I’ve been waiting for this day a long, long time,” said Hill, a mutual and hedge fund manager/investor on Wall Street.

Hill was at Palm Beach Downs in South Florida last Saturday to watch Vekoma have his final workout for the Blue Grass. Vekoma, who won the Nashua at 2 and finished third in the Fountain of Youth in his first start at 3, went five furlongs in 1:00.53 under new rider Javier Castellano.

Vekoma is a son of Candy Ride out of the Speightstown mare Mona de Momma, who was a Grade 1-winning sprinter. Vekoma, who finished third in the Fountain of Youth Stakes, was being considered for the Florida Derby, but Hill along with co-owner Mike Gatsas and trainer George Weaver felt the Blue Grass might be a little easier.

“You got to get the points,” Hill said. “My only question is the distance. But right now I think I’m going to win.”

In the Wood, Hill will have Tax, who is coming off a victory in the Grade 3 Withers, and Not That Brady, who lost to Tax by a head in the Withers.

Hill was the original owner of Not That Brady, but lost him in a $50,000 claiming race at Saratoga. Marina Hill was not happy about that since she named the horse after one of the couple’s dogs, Brady. Randy Hill had to add “Not That” to Brady’s name because he is a New York Giants fan and didn’t want his friends to think he named the horse for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Hill did not become part-owner of Tax until after he finished third in the Remsen Stakes last Dec. 1 at Aqueduct. Tax had been claimed by trainer Danny Gargan for $50,000 on behalf of Corms Racing. At the time of the claim, Gargan asked Hill if he wanted in, but Hill said he didn’t need any more horses.

Following the Withers, Hill and business partner Dean Reeves have become majority owners of Tax, and Hill bought back a piece of Not That Brady.

“If I go to the Derby and in the post parade they say ‘And the number 5 horse, Not That Brady,’ I’ll have to leave,” said Hill when asked why he bought back in on Not That Brady.

After the Withers, Not That Brady was eased in the Gotham. Still, trainer Rudy Rodriguez and co-owners Michael Imperio and Vincent Vivolo want to give the Wood a shot.

But Tax looks like Hill’s better chance in the Wood. After a solid third in the Remsen, Tax came back with a gutty victory in the Withers. Since then, he has put in series of strong workouts at Belmont Park.

“He is training up a storm,” Hill said. “I’ve been waiting 20 years to get a good horse, now I have three horses going for the Derby on Saturday. That’s crazy.”

Servis trio slow and steady

If you’re looking for bullet workouts from a Jason Servis-trained runner you’ve come to the wrong barn.

Servis believes in slow, steady gallops with a little – very little – zip at the end.

On Monday, at Palm Meadows, Servis sent out Call Paul, Final Jeopardy, and World of Trouble for similar-style training moves in preparation for stakes engagements on Saturday at Aqueduct.

Final Jeopardy, pointing to the Wood, went 1 1/4 miles in 2:24.65, with a final three furlongs in 39.20 seconds.

“Run all day,” exercise rider Alvaro Tomas told Servis as he walked the horse around the barn after the training session.

Call Paul, pointing to the Grade 3 Bay Shore, went his final quarter in 25.60 seconds as part of a mile gallop that went in 1:58.23.

World of Trouble, pointing to the Grade 1 Carter, went his last quarter in 25.92 seconds at the end of a mile gallop that went in 1:57.40.

Servis believes this style of training gets the horses prepared “without drilling them.”

That trio will ship to New York on Wednesday.

– additional reporting by Mike Welsch