Muscle Mountain walking the walk

Giant trotter Muscle Mountain (Muscle Hill) is on the water walker at Brian and Lesley Court’s, getting ready to come back to Woodend Beach harness racing trainers Greg and Nina Hope next week.

“He had three weeks out after Auckland and he’s been on the water walker for two weeks. We didn’t want to give him too much of a break. He went out on a high, was in good nick and he’ll be ready to go in September,” Greg said.

His last start was at the end of May in the Rowe Cup where after breaking at the start the gelding put up a massive effort to finish fourth.

The multiple Group winning six year old has won twenty eight of his forty three starts and has earned $659,409 in stakes for his owner Ian Dobson of Cullen Breeding. 

Muscle Mountain hasn’t raced outside of the country and was booked to go to Australia for the Great Southern Star in February but he caught a cold before making the trip.

“The timing was a bit of a bugger. We didn’t want to go off and risk his health in any way.”

Hope says that if the horse does travel they’ll likely target the Southern Star again. It depends on   owner Ian Dobson’s agreement.

“He would rather see the horse racing at home. There will be plenty of opportunities to go further afield because he’s a super horse. We’d like to take him overseas because we feel he’d be right up to it. I honestly think he could run a pretty slick mile. We’ve still got plenty of good racing at home before we need to be thinking about that.” 

It’s no secret that Dobson would dearly love to win the Dominion Handicap in November and with his pacer Akuta (Bettor’s Delight) targeting the New Zealand Trotting Cup, no doubt he’d like to take out the Group One double at Cup Week.

Meanwhile Muscle Mountain’s full sister which the Hopes bought for $130,000 at this year’s NZB Standardbred Yearling Sales in Christchurch has been broken in.

“She broke in lovely. We think she’s probably not a genuine two year old. She’s well-mannered and has just got a great attitude so that should take her a fair way. She trots around nice and has just got a great temperament.” 

Greg and Nina hold a sixty percent share in the yet to be named filly, with son Ben taking a thirty percent share. 

“We’ve got some other family members that haven’t been in a horse before that wanted in.”

Ben is currently working at Brent Lilley’s in Australia and Greg says he’s due back next month.

“He’ll definitely be back for Muscle Mountain no worries there (laughter).”  

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink