MUSCLE MOUNTAIN REPEAT
The nine-year-old is the veteran of seven full racing seasons, yet he averages just ten starts per season.
The reward for the horse’s owner, Cullen Breeding Limited and the Hopes, was forty-one wins and over $1.2 million in stakes.
The wins included seven matches in Group One and a host of wins in Groups Two and Three.
Not only has Muscle Mountain now won four New Zealand Trotting Championships, it has also won the Summer Trotting FFA and the Ashburton Trotters Mile four times.
His record in these races should never be broken.
Other multiple winning features include The Lyell Creek Stakes, the National Trot and the Trotters Classic.
As a young horse, Muscle Mountain showed enough talent early on to race as a two-year-old, but that also brought challenges.
“At first he lightened up quite a bit and was a bit torn and broken. We had to train him behind a screen behind the galloping pacer. That allowed us to control his work. He wanted to work a lot faster than what we wanted him to do. That’s what he did for two or three years,” Greg said.
He won four of his six starts out of two and made only two starts out of three.
“I think Covid was a big help for him. There was no racing. He had already won a race as a three-year-old. I said to Dobbie (owner Ian Dobson) that I would like to mark the season for three-year-olds because I could see him taking off and growing. It probably worked to his advantage that he only had a small season as a three-year-old. The horse came first as far as Dobbie was concerned and he gave us the luxury of spending him when he needed to be tipped.”
Greg also recognizes that the Woodend Beach training environment and the stable’s blacksmith are important players in the horse’s longevity.
“We are lucky. We train him on the beach, we have a lovely sand track at home and we have a great farrier in Kerry Estridge. I credit a lot of our horse’s performance to the way he is shod. He comes in on Thursdays at 11am and shoes seven or eight horses and normally he won’t be out until 8pm at night. He takes his time and takes great pride in his shoeing. It’s not about doing the numbers, it’s about doing the best for the horse.”
Although the Hopes have toyed with the idea of ​​taking Muscle Mountain abroad at various stages, the horse’s owner was not keen.
“Dobbie always wanted to keep him at home so he could watch him race. We didn’t take him to Australia, which takes a toll on a horse. People underestimate how much it costs to take them there and it catches up with them.”
Nina has also played a key role in keeping Muscle Mountain well and healthy with daily massages for the giant gelding.
“Some days it can take an hour or an hour and a half just to work on him. She often comes out in the afternoon when she’s working on other horses in the morning. You can’t charge for the amount of time she spends on him. The horse responds to it. He really gets sore around the top of his back and through the knee area at the back. All the athletes get treatment these days and the horses are the same. We have all the other tools, like massage blankets, but there’s nothing like you have your hands on it and she massages. She has had to sacrifice her own body and has arthritis in her fingers, and she goes to the chiropractor herself for back pain.”
So, what’s next for Muscle Mountain, this modern marvel?
“He’ll be racing in the Rowe Cup and probably have a few starts before that. We probably won’t race him for another month.”
Muscle Mountain’s best season came in 2022, when he won nine of his 14 starts as a five-year-old. His victories include the Ashburton Trotters Mile, the Cambridge Trotters Flying Mile, the New Zealand Trotting Free for All, the Ordeal Cup and the Summer Trotting Free for All. That year he earned $262,408.
Ben has ridden him in all three of his 77 starts and won 38 races, while Ricky May has ridden him twice for two wins and Matty Williamson once for a win.
“He’s been a great horse. People ask us when we’re going to retire. I keep saying when he’ll stop winning a few hundred thousand a year. He’s just been a horse that goes out and performs at the highest level all the time.”
For full race results, click here.
Through Bruce Stewartfor Harnesslink
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