Hill Gail

Hill Gail (April 19, 1949 – May 27, 1968) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. One of the leading American two-year-olds of 1951, Hill Gail recorded his most important success the following spring when he won the 1952 Kentucky Derby. He was injured during the race and was never as effective in his subsequent racing career. He was retired to stand as a breeding stallion in Ireland, where he had limited success as a sire. Background Hill Gail was a dark bay horse bred and raced by Calumet Farm of Lexington, Kentucky. He was sired by Champion sire Bull Lea out of Jane Gail, a successful but temperamental racemare described by her trainer Jimmy Jones as "a well-authenticated bitch". As a descendant of the broodmare St Angela, Jane Gail was distantly related to the British champion St. Simon and Orme. Hill Gail was trained by Ben Jones for races in the East while his son Jimmy handled the colt's conditioning in California. Racing career At age two, Hill Gail set a new Arlington Park track record for six furlongs when winning the 1951 Arlington Futurity, the most valuable two-year-old race of the season. In October, Hill Gail recorded an upset victory over the year's leading colt Tom Fool in a sprint race at Belmont Park, but was beaten by the same colt in the Belmont Futurity five days later.