No mountain too high as Hopes claim 3rd National Trot

They don’t come any bigger than Group Ones in harness racing.

Tonight (Apr. 28), Muscle Mountain (Muscle Hill) secured his first in the North Island and fourth in total when taking out the $86,850 Peter Breckon Memorial National Trot at Alexandra Park.

The Greg and Nina Hope-trained superstar has been peerless since the retirement of Sundees Son. So it proved yet again, marking his seventh successive victory since his epic Dominion dual with the former king of New Zealand trotting.

Having drawn barrier one for tonight’s assignment behind his favoured mobile dispatch, it was always going to be a hard ask for his opposition given the gate speed the six-year-old gelding possesses. His regular pilot, Ben Hope, was coy with Harnesslink followers earlier in the day, hinting at what he felt could be cat and mouse tactics with another noted gate flyer outside him in Aldebaran Zeus.

The speed dual never really eventuated thanks in part to a couple of minor taps on the rump from Hope with the reins. The more likely scenario of the Australian raider crossing down onto his back for a brief moment looked possible with Chris Alford doing his utmost to get down to the pegs, before Matthew White and Resolve kicked up to assume a trailing position for the 2700m journey.

Alford was then forced to drop anchor and worked his way down to the markers, albeit three sulky carts further then he would have liked. He popped off the pegs halfway down the backstraight the first time as first Double Delight and Tony Herlihy worked round to the chair before John Dunn and Aardiebythehill came round to assume the death seat for the last lap and half.

With no serious pressure being applied, Hope was able to get away with murder out in front and in somewhat of an armchair drive, essentially stole the race with a 2:02.8-mile rate before ripping home in 56.3 off the front.

The winning time was the slowest since Allegro Agitato won the G1 feature back in 2006, and while the margin of a half-length was somewhat flattering to the opposition, you got the impression Muscle Mountain was more or less just toying with his rivals.

“It did feel good, obviously he only just got there but we made it a bit of a walk and a sprint, and he got the job done, and that’s all that mattered,” said his pilot, Ben Hope post-race.

“The horse felt super, and he trotted really well. While he didn’t win by a big margin, I was really happy.

“To win a Group One anywhere is incredible but to get one at Alexandra Park with this horse was really cool,” he said.

Hope was asked by Nicole Sims whether he was surprised with how easily he found the front, and for once, the usually reserved character gave a rather bullish answer about the speed that his champion trotter possesses.

“I wasn’t really surprised. I know he has the gate speed when I want to use it and there wouldn’t be many trotters in the world who could beat him off the gate if he wanted to use it. He probably burnt a bit early but still had enough in the tank when it mattered,” he said.

When asked what makes Muscle Moutain such a dominant force, Hope had the following to say;

“His will to win. He is a beautiful athletic horse who has a great way of going and when you combine those two things together, you have got a pretty good horse,” he said.

MUSCLE MOUNTAIN REPLAY

Hope’s parents in Greg and Nina who had won the race twice before with Monbet and Quite A Moment were all smiles post-race having secured their third G1 in the space of five months with their latest square gaiting phenom. The moment was not lost on their son either, paying homage to the team behind the horse.

“To win a Group One with the family is very special and this horse has given us one hell of a ride,” he said.

The John Dickie trained Resolve (Andover Hall) added invaluable black type to her already glittering family page, running the race of her life from the winners back to secure second place for her co-breeders and owners, David and Catherine Butt.

Oscar Bonavena unwound stylishly from a hopeless position on the home turn being caught second last before swooping to snare third from a game Double Delight and Tony Herlihy in their maiden open class G1 outing.

For complete Alexandra Park race results, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink