Daley aiming for Solvalla

Inquiring minds want to know, and trainer Noel Daley said Monday there have been plenty of those asking if Mr. Muscleman, who is heading to Sweden for the May 27 Elitlopp, is healthy after missing the Father Foley final at the Meadowlands Sunday afternoon, May 6.

“I never intended to race him in the final. I’m racing him this week and then it’s two weeks until the Elitlopp,” Daley told harnessracing.com Monday afternoon. “I’ve had a bunch of phone calls today to see if something was wrong with him, but I never, ever intended to race him in the final.”

Mr. Muscleman has won his two starts this year, both coming in the opening rounds of the Father Foley Series. Daley said he plans on starting Mr. Muscleman next weekend in the Arthur Cutler Memorial eliminations at the Big M, but then passing again on the final the following week.

“I’m just aiming him to try and have him as good as we can for the Elitlopp and everything else, it’s just a matter of timing fitting the races in,” Daley explained. “This weekend is the Cutler elimination, but I won’t be racing in the final of that either. That’s the night we’re leaving to go to Sweden. He flies from JFK Saturday night (May 19) and gets in at Gothenburg, and then it’s a 300-mile ship to the track from there.”

With his two latest victories, the 7-year-old Mr. Muscleman has 35 wins in 65 career starts. Owned by Adam Victor & Son Stable—the sport’s leading money-winning owner in 2006—the son of Muscles Yankee has career earnings of $3,390,982. He currently stands 11^th on the all-time earnings list for a trotter; he ranks fifth among North American breds.

Daley, who plans on heading to Sweden three days after the three-time divisional champ and 2005 Trotter of the Year, said regular driver Ron Pierce—who drove Ringside Rocket in the 2000 Elitlopp—will drive Mr. Muscleman at Solvalla in the Elitlopp. Daley added he is also planning on taking his recent Down Under purchase, A Touch Of Flair, to Sweden.

“A Touch Of Flair has a walk-up start, 3,000-meter race there that weekend,” he said of the champion 7-year-old gelding. “I qualified him the other day and he went 1:55 flat, coming home in :27.1. He was very good and I was very happy with him.”

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