At the end of his three-year-old season he was sold and exported to the United States where he made little impact as a racehorse and proved to be a disappointment as a breeding stallion.
He was from the first crop of foals sired by Mount Hagen, a horse owned and bred by Daniel Wildenstein, which won the Prix du Moulin in 1974.
He was sent into training with Mick O'Toole, best known for his handling of National Hunt horses including the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Davy Lad,[3] and for his willingness to gamble heavily on his charges.
[5] After finishing third to Miami Springs and Gerald Martin on his racecourse debut in the Tyros Stakes, Dickins Hill recorded his first success by beating Cabinbinini by a length in a six furlong maiden race at the Curragh in July.
He was beaten a head by the English-trained Tap On Wood, although the result was only confirmed when the racecourse stewards overruled an objection by Swinburn, who alleged that the winner had caused interference in the final furlong.
Dickens Hill face Tap On Wood again when he was sent to France and moved up to Group One Class for the Grand Critérium at Longchamp Racecourse on 8 October.
[5] Dickens Hill began his second season in the Vauxhall Trial Stakes over seven furlongs at Phoenix Park Racecourse, in which he finished second to Gerald Martin.
[8] Seven days after his defeat at the Curragh, Dickens Hill started 7/4 second favourite for one of Britain's most prestigious weight-for-age races, the Eclipse Stakes over ten furlongs at Sandown Park Racecourse.
Murray tracked the leaders before sending Dickens Hill past Northern Baby and Crimson Beau to take the lead a furlong from the finish.
He ran very poorly, reverting to his old habit of throwing his head in the air, making no progress in the closing stages and finishing fifth of the six runners behind the four-year-old Fordham.