Collier Hill

An Owners Dream

COLLIER HILL
1998 ch gDr Devious (IRE) – Polar Queen (Polish Precedent (USA)
Winnings: £2,317,161

Collin is now retired and spends his days here at Western House Stables.
He is still in the best of health and enjoys a buck and kick around the paddocks.
Hopefully he will be telling all his friends in the paddocks  about his globe trotting experiences!

A few of his many races are shown in his picture gallery!

Winner of 15 races in 8 countries – England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Sweden, Canada, Dubai & Hong Kong
3rd Rheinland-Pokal, Cologne Gr.1
2nd Dubai Sheema Classic, Gr.1
Irish St Leger, Curragh, Gr.1 ……. Read more in News & Reviews
Stockholm Cup International, 2004, Gr.3′
Elnadim Sponsored by Derristown Stud Handicap’, Dubai
3rd Dubai Sheema Classic, Gr. 1 click for exclusive report and full result more ……..
Gerling-Preis, Cologne, Gr.2
Deutschlandpreis, Dusseldorf, Gr.1
Stockholm Cup, 2006, Taby, Sweden, Gr.3
The Canadian International, Toronto, Gr.1 – View Video
Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase, Gr.1, Sha Tin …. pictures | Report –

10 December 2006 Cathey Pacific Hong Kong Vase

The fairytale story of Collier Hill took yet another barely imaginable twist as the eight-year-old British stayer repelled the late thrust of Kastoria by a nose to win the HK$14m Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase.

The horse that cost GBP5,500 as a cast-off and was bought to win a bumper at Catterick before a spell over hurdles has now won over HK$31m, adding to wins in last year’s Irish St Leger and the Canadian International in October.

Collier Hill raced prominently and took over the lead with over 300m to go and looked to have the race in safe keeping at the furlong pole, but that was when Mick Kinane had extricated Kastoria from an awkward passage and unleashed a tremendous run that brought him to within an agonising margin of the winner. Shamdala, owned like the runner-up by the Aga Khan, ran third with Song Of Wind fourth for Japan.

While it was a tale of hard-luck tale for the Irish-trained runner-up, take nothing from Collier Hill, so boldly touted all week by his jockey Dean McKeown – a man better known for his exploits at tracks in the north of Britain – as a horse that would not be beaten and one that excels when he travels overseas.

“I knew I had won turning for home!” the rider joked in the post-race media melee. “He picked up really well but near the line he turned his head at the crowd shouting and he started to ease up and when Kastoria came at him he really stuck his head out and just got in.”

Trainer Alan Swinbank, who trains 120 horses in a yard of flat and jump horses in North Yorkshire, added: “He was a bit dehydrated on Thursday and for a time it was touch and go whether we would run, and it was only yesterday that he came right again. We have always had trouble his joints and now we can look after them when he gets home. He deserves a break now, doesn’t he?”


“Long term, we might come back here next year, but you have to consider his age. In the meantime, he will go back to Dubai for the Sheema Classic in March when we will try to go one better than last year.”

Collier Hill – exclusive report on the Dubai Sheema Class March 26th
by our man in Dubai – Jason Ford

What a night. Stable star Collier Hill, the five grand John Gosden cast-off, produced a career best effort when a gallant, running-on third in the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Nad Al Sheba on Saturday night.

This is the same Collier Hill who made a winning debut in a bumper at Catterick in 2002, progressed to win three flat races that year before two the following year, when he also won over hurdles, then went onto win a Listed race in Scotland last year, as well as a Group 3 in Sweden. This is the virtually unknown horse who arrived in Dubai earlier this year for the Dubai International Racing Carnival trained by a Yorkshireman certainly not a household name here in the UAE.

He marked his arrival in Dubai in the best possible fashion, slamming the opposition in a 12-furlong grass handicap off a mark of 106, to be promptly raised to 112 – the same mark as Razkalla – Godolphin’s 2004 Melbourne Cup horse.

He was then a very creditable fourth to Razkalla in a 12-furlong handicap, when the ground was noticeably too fast for ‘Collier’. The pair clashed again on Saturday, with Razkalla again just coming out on top, but ‘Collier’ truly completed his ‘rags to riches’ transformation by galloping all the way to the line to secure third in a prestigious international Group 1 race, with a $200,000 reward for third and with Group 1 winners Greys Inn, Powerscourt and Prince Arch behind, as well as twice Classic-placed Tycoon, St Leger fourth Maraahel and one time Derby hopeful Fight Your Corner, trained by such luminaries as Mike De Kock, Saeed Bin Suroor, Mazin Al Kurdi, Aidan O’Brien and Sir Michael Stoute.

The $200,000 third prize money was virtually to the penny exactly what the seven-year-old gelded son of Dr Devious had earned in winning his 10 races to date and this truly was a phenomenal effort and a remarkable training performance from a former arable farmer who has just celebrated his fourth birthday with a training licence.

Andrew Balding’s Phoenix Reach, a proven Group 1 globetrotter, landed the spoils so the prize at least went back to the UK!

Asked afterwards about future plans for the horse, Swinbank said: “we will take him home and play it by ear. He has done us proud in Dubai and it is great to succeed in this international arena.

“What a place this is. The atmosphere, the crowds. It is a great night for a small yard.”

Asked about a possible champion hurdle bid next year, he added: “No. He did not really take to hurdles.”

Whatever Collier Hill achieves in the future, he has certainly justified his trainer’s modest outlay and, who knows, maybe the astute handler will buy the Sure Blade yearling half-brother to his stable star and start another dream. For that, surely, must be what the Collier Hill story is, a dream which most certainly came true.

Collier Hill edges Go Deputy in epic Pattison Canadian International


TORONTO, October 22…Eight-year-old Collier Hill became the oldest winner of the Grade 1, $2 million Pattison Canadian International, Canada’s richest horse race, with a truly heroic, gut-wrenching performance Sunday at Woodbine.

With jockey Dean McKeown urging the veteran on, Collier Hill, sent postward a 10-1 outsider, took over from local hopeful Last Answer turning into the long E.P. Taylor Turf Course stretch and proceeded to open several lengths on his nine rivals.

Suddenly, Go Deputy, the 7-2 second choice with jockey John Velazquez came calling, taking dead aim on the leader in the final eighth of a mile. The Todd Pletcher trainee appeared to even poke a head in front about 70 yards before the wire.

But England’s Collier Hill, who has travelled the world throughout his career, (Canada was the seventh country he’s raced in), gallantly fought back in the closing strides to prevail by a nose, equalling the closest finish in the history of the International since it became a turf classic in 1958. Mutafaweq also edged Williams News by the same margin in 2000.

Bill Sorokolit’s homebred Sky Conqueror, ridden by Todd Kabel, came on for third, the best finish by the three Canadians in the race while Blue Monday, another British raider, wound up fourth.

The 2-1 favourite Kastoria, bidding to become only the sixth filly or mare to win the International, trailed the field for most of the trip before swinging out wide down the lane, but never threatened, eventually finishing eighth.

The time for the mile and one-half turf classic over a course which was listed as ‘soft’, was 2:37.34.

“I did (think Go Deputy was going to go by me),”said McKeown, who was celebrating his first ride in Canada. “But this horse is such a battler. He’s been all over the world. We’ve been to Dubai, Germany, Sweden and he’s won everywhere. As an eight-year-old, he’s just an incredible horse, a very, very, talented horse that just doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.”

Collier Hill, a son of Dr. Devious, became the sixth British-bred to win the International (Mutamam was the last do so in 2001). He also replaced six-year-old Mutamam as the oldest winner of the race and he became just the sixth gelding to win since 1958, the last being Canadian-bred Thornfield in 1999.

Last Answer and jockey Emile Ramsammy led the 10 horse field through most of the running leading by as much as five lengths, after six furlongs which was reached in 1:19.06.

Meanwhile, Collier Hill, who came into the race as the field’s leading money winner, with over $1.9 million, was prominently placed in second throughout, before assuming command turning for home, with one quarter-mile remaining.

“It went well,” said Velazquez, about runner-up Go Deputy’s trip. “I had a little hard time going into the first turn getting a hold of him. Around the turn, he started getting his momentum back. Down the lane, I asked him and he ran and I thought he was going to go by the old horse. For a moment, I put a nose in front, but the other horse came back to beat us.”

Said an elated Russell Hall, who co-owns Collier Hill, along with partners David Abell and Richard Crowe, “He’s done very, very well, as he always does. He’s an honest genuine horse. Wherever he goes, he’s proud of himself and presents himself as a star.”

Collier Hill, trained by Alan Swinbank, who was unable to make the trip to Woodbine, earned $1.2 million for his Pattison win, his second Group 1 success after a victory last year in the Irish St. Leger, pushing his career bankroll to over $3.1 million. It was his 14th win in 44 lifetime starts.

Collier Hill paid $23.50, $9.70 and $5.70, combining with Go Deputy ($5, $3.50) for a $143.40 (8-7) exactor. An 8-7-1 (Sky Conqueror, $5.10 to show) triactor fashioned a $616.20 payout, while a $1 8-7-1-3 (Blue Monday) Superfecta was worth $2,074.30.