Dan Patch Award winner Niki Hill has been retired from racing and the millionaire pacing mare will begin her broodmare career in 2024.
A daughter of Always B Miki out of the Bettors Delight mare Road Bet, Niki Hill took the sport by storm in her award-winning two-year-old season. Trained by Chris Ryder, Niki Hill won nine of 10 in her rookie campaign, highlighted by major stakes victories in the Shes A Great Lady, Kindergarten and Three Diamonds. Her lone defeat at two came in her elimination for the Breeders Crown at The Meadowlands, from which she rebounded with a dominating 1:51 effort in the slop in the $600,000 final with regular pilot Dexter Dunn aboard en route to being named the 2021 Dan Patch Award winner in the division.
Niki Hill's three-year-old campaign got off to a troubled start, as she suffered a minor injury during a miscue in her first start in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes action. However, Niki Hill returned with a vengeance following a four-month layoff, sweeping the Grand Circuit stakes at the Red Mile including a 1:48.4 lifetime-best performance in the Glen Garnsey. Niki Hill notched an additional victory in the Matron Stakes at Dover Downs during her sophomore campaign to go along with a runner-up finish in the Breeders Crown as well as to older mares in the TVG Mare Pace to Grace Hill.
Following an abbreviated four-year-old campaign, Niki Hill retired with 14 victories in 20 lifetime starts and a career bankroll totalling $1,444,879 having only finished worse than second twice in her career for owner Tom Hill.
According to Ryder, Captaintreacherous has been selected for Niki Hill's first mating.
(Standardbred Canada)