The making of a mountain

Muscle Mountain’s (Muscle Hill) win in the Fred Shaw New Zealand Trotting Championship at Addington on Friday night is testament to the management strategy put in place by trainers Greg, Nina and Ben Hope for their very talented trotter.

MUSCLE MOUNTAIN REPLAY

The nine year old is the veteran of seven full seasons of racing, yet he’s averaged only ten starts per season.

The reward for the horse’s owner Cullen Breeding Limited and the Hopes, has been forty one wins and in excess of $1.2 million in stakes.

Among the wins have been seven Group One features and a host of Group Two and Three wins.

Not only has Muscle Mountain now won four New Zealand Trotting Championships, he’s also won the Summer Trotting FFA and the Ashburton Trotters Mile four times.

His record in these races may never be beaten.

Other multiple winning features are The Lyell Creek Stakes, the National Trot and the Trotters Classic.

As a young horse Muscle Mountain showed enough talent early to race as a two year old, but that came with its challenges.

“Early on he used to light up quite a bit and be a bit rip, tear and bust. We used to have to train him behind a screen behind the galloping pacemaker. That ensured we could 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 at two and only started twice at three.

“I think Covid was a big help to him. There was no racing. He’d won a race as an early three year old. I said to Dobbie (owner Ian Dobson) I’d like to flag the three year old season because I could tell he was taking off and growing. It probably worked in his favour 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 tipping him out when he needed to be tipped out.”

Greg also acknowledges the Woodend Beach training environment and the stable’s blacksmith as major players in the horse’s longevity.

“We’re lucky. We train him on the beach, we’ve got a lovely sand track at home and we’ve got a great blacksmith in Kerry Estridge. I credit a lot of our horse’s (performances) to how they’re shod. He’ll come in on a Thursday at 11.00am and shoe seven or eight horses and he won’t normally be gone until 8.00 at night. He takes his time and has real pride in his shoeing. It not about doing the numbers, but doing the best thing by the horse.”

Although the Hopes at various stages have toyed with the idea of taking Muscle Mountain overseas, the horse’s owner wasn’t keen.

“Dobbie was always keen to keep him home so he could see him race. We haven’t tripped him away to Australia, which takes a toll on a horse. People underestimate how much is involved in taking them there and it does catch up on them.”

Nina has also played a key role in keeping Muscle Mountain feeling good and healthy with daily massages for the giant gelding.

“Some days it could be an hour or an hour and a half just working on him. She’ll often come out in the afternoon if she’s busy in the morning with other horses. You can’t charge the amount a time she spends on him. The horse responds to it. He gets really sore around the top of his back and through the stifle area in behind. All the sportspeople are getting treated these days and the horses are the same. We’ve got all the other tools like massage blankets, but there’s nothing like having your hands on them and massaging them. She’s had to sacrifice her own body and has got arthritis through her fingers and she’s off to the chiropractor herself for back soreness.”

So, what’s next for Muscle Mountain, this modern-day marvel?

“He’ll go up and race in the Rowe Cup and probably have a couple of starts before that. We probably won’t race him for another month.”

Muscle Mountain’s best season was in 2022 when as a five year old he won nine of his fourteen starts. His wins included 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 driven him in all bar three of his 77 starts, winning 38 races, while Ricky May has driven him twice for two wins and Matty Williamson once for a win.

“He’s been an amazing horse. We have people ask when we’re going to retire him. I keep saying when he stops winning a couple of hundred thousand a year. He’s just been a horse that goes out and continually performs at the top level.”

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink