Muscle Hill Will Win Harness Horse of the Year
Victory in Breeders Crown Final Puts Colt on Track To Snatch HOY
Nov 10, 2009
He's Muscles Yankee's three-year-old son, and he's all muscle and grit, grace and glide. He's unbeaten in 2009 and hasn't lost a harness racing competition since finishing second in his very first start as a two-year-old last season. He's Muscle Hill.
With Little Brown Jug winner Well Said defeated in the Breeders Crown pacing division final October 24 at Woodbine Racetrack, Muscle Hill is surely Standardbred Horse of the Year, having swept the BC trotters final.
The last three Trotters of the Year, Deweycheatumnhowe (2008), Donato Hanover (2007), and Glidemaster (2006), failed to win a Breeders Crown title when named harness Horse of the Year. Muscle Hill won Breeders Crown finals back-to-back as a two-year-old and a three-year-old, joining just two other trotters to accomplish that feat: Malabar Man (1996-1997) and Mack Lobell (1986-1987).
Driver Brian Sears Gets Three BC Winners
Biker Brian Sears had a triple-win Breeders Crown day, driving Muscle Hill and filly Broadway Schooner to victory in the three-year-old divisions, and getting Fancy Filly to the winner's circle in the filly two-year-old class.
2009 Breeders Crown Finals
Trotters 3-year-old Colt Final:
- First -- Muscle Hill (driver, Brian Sears); by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:54.1
- Second -- Triumphant Cavier (Luc Quellette)
- Third -- Neighsay Hanover (John Campbell)
Other Breeders Crown Winners:
Trotters:
- Trotters 2-year-old Colt Final: Pilgrims Taj (Mike LaChance); by 1 length in 1:57.1
- Trotters 3-year-old Filly Final: Broadway Schooner (Brian Sears); by 3/4 length in 1:57
- Trotters 2-year-old Filly Final: Poof She's Gone (David Miller); by 1 length in 1:56.3
Pacers:
- Pacers 3-year-old Colt Final: If I Can Dream (Tim Tetrick); by 1/2 length in 1:51.1
- Pacers 2-year-old Colt Final: All Speed Hanover (Ron Pierce); by a head in 1:52
- Pacers 3-year-old Filly Final: Yellow Diamond (Jim Morrill Jr.); by a neck in 1:51.2
- Pacers 2-year-old Filly Final: Fancy Filly (Brian Sears); by 1 length in 1:53.4
Muscle Hill's undefeated season included an average margin of victory of four lengths. Trainer Greg Peck remarked in a Breeders Crown post-race interview that he hadn't expected Muscle Hill's year to be that easy.
"...I think it'd be unfair to him to not say he's the greatest trotter ever," Peck told The Horseman and Fair World magazine writer Gordon Waterstone (issue October 28, 2009; page 16).
Current Standardbred Poll
Currently, the 2009 Standardbred Poll compiled by Harness Racing Communications is led by Muscle Hill:
- Muscle Hill (3-year-old trotter, colt) -- 12 starts, 12 wins, 0 seconds, 0 thirds -- 347 points
- Lucky Jim (4TG) -- 18 - 17 - 0 - 1 -- 304
- Well Said (3PC) -- 14 - 10 - 0 - 1 -- 265
- Sportswriter (2PC) -- 8 - 7 - 1 - 0 -- 148
- Buck I St. Pat (6TM) -- 17 - 9 - 2 - 3 -- 119
- Southwind Tempo (5PM) -- 15 - 7 - 5 - 2 -- 119
- If I Can Dream (3PC) -- 19 - 10 - 3 - 1 -- 93
- Not Enough (3PF) -- 13 - 10 - 1 - 2 -- 88
- Explosive Matter (3TC) -- 14 - 6 - 5 - 1 -- 56
- Poof She's Gone (2TF) -- 11 - 9 - 1 - 1 -- 55
- All Speed Hanover (2PC) -- 7 - 5 - 0 - 1 -- 55
Muscle Hill is owned by Jerry Silva and Tom Pontone and is scheduled for retirement to stud at Southwind Farm.
