The Mountain delivers

On his first visit to the south Muscle Mountain (Muscle Hill) delivered, impressively winning the $50,000 Group Three Brendan Franks Farrier David Moss Stakes at the Invercargill Harness Racing Club meeting today.

Starting off 30 metres, driver Ben Hope soon had the giant trotter in stride, but some way off the pace. Inside the last 800 metres Hope set him alight and he powered up to pacemaker Mystic Max.

“It was a super drive and he (Ben) summed it up. There was quite a significant wind out there and he moved at the right time. He got himself into the race with a tail wind, so it was perfect,” Greg Hope who trains the gelding with his wife Nina said.

Turning in, Muscle Mountain sprinted away to beat stablemate Midnight Dash by three quarters of a length.

MUSCLE MOUNTAIN REPLAY

“He’s just a super horse, great gaited and we never had a concern about the track. The concern was the 30 metres. It’s a tough ask when you’ve got eleven or twelve in front of you. We didn’t take it for granted, but we knew we had the horsepower.”

The winning time was 3-25.9 with the last 800 metres run in 56.8.

Pres The Belle holds the all-comers track record of 3-24.0 (2020) while One Apollo (2021) holds the entire and gelding record of 3-24.1.

“He’s just a super horse that takes nothing out of himself. He’s got a lot more settled in his training. There are always the young guns coming through but they’re going to have to be good.”

Hope was full of credit for Midnight Dash too.

“That little horse deserved that. He’s a perfect racehorse. It’s just a shame he has Just Believe and Muscle Mountain and the likes to compete against.”

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink