Muscle Hill To Keep Date With Destiny in Breeders Crown

[jrstark]

Muscle Hill To Keep Date With Destiny in Breeders Crown

Greg Peck, trainer of Muscle Hill notes the role that history plays in elevating the importance of the colt winning the Breeders Crown.  “You’d like to win it because it’s going to be his last race,” he says. “You’d like the curtain to close on a winning note.  Also, the last two years, the three year-old colt champions, Dewey and Donato [Deweycheatumnhowe and Donato Hanover] didn’t do it [win the Breeders Crown].  We’d like to be able to get it done.
 
Peck is not morose about the colt’s impending last race and his departure for the breeding shed,  “I’ve said all along, it’s time.  He’s shown what a champion he is and I look forward to training his yearlings.  The sooner he gets to the breeding shed, the sooner the yearlings will come along.”
 
Aside from his speed, as co-holder of the all age world record of 1:50.1, Peck cites “gait and intelligence” as the two qualities he most hopes Muscle Hill will pass on to his progeny.  “He’s very intelligent,” he notes.    “He’s so controllable and push button.  You can almost literally push a button and he’ll do whatever you ask him to do.  He has a very light mouth, you can do whatever you want to do with him.”   
 
Willing to take on Muscle Hill are Triumphant Caviar, recent winner of the Keystone Classic and Old Oaken Bucket and Neighsay Hanover, who won the Bluegrass at Lexington and the Simcoe at Mohawk earlier this year. Neighsay Hanover has the next highest earnings in the field of ten, with $419,540 in 19 starts this year.
 
Post positions will be drawn at the press conference at Woodbine on Tues., Oct. 20, hosted by former Houston Oiler and Toronto Argonaut Warren Moon.
 
The  complete field in alphabetical order is as follows:

Trotter (in alpha order) Driver Trainer
Broadway Bistro George Brennan Jim Campbell
Hot Shot Blue Chip Mike Lachance Jonas Czernyson
Howthehaloareyou George Brennan Annette Lorentzon
Muscle Hill Brian Sears Greg Peck
Neighsay Hanover John Campbell Trond Smedshammer
PJ Clark Andy Miller Julie Miller
Striking Lindsey Luc Ouellette Gregg McNair
Swan For All Jody Jamieson Erv Miller
Tom Cango Tim Tetrick Jim Campbell
Triumphant Caviar Luc Ouellette Chris Beaver