Muscle Hill dominates Hambletonian with world record effort

Muscle Hill won the 84th edition of the $1.5 million Hambletonian in impressive fashion Saturday afternoon at the Meadowlands, wiring the field in a world record-equaling 1:50.1. The Muscles Yankee colt gave both trainer Greg Peck and driver Brian Sears their first Hambo victories. The 1-5 favorite distanced Explosive Matter and Ron Pierce, who finished second, by six lengths. Calchips Brute and John Campbell were third.

 

Starting from the rail, Sears moved to the front with Muscle Hill once the gate folded as Explosive Matter dropped in second with Symphonic Hanover (David Miller) in tow. Peck’s charge clicked off fractions of :27.1, :55 and 1:23 while slowly drawing away from the field. Coming out of the final turn, the colt flexed his muscle, trotting away in the stretch by open lengths and remaining perfect in five seasonal starts.

 

Owned by Jerry Silva, T L P Stable, Southwind Farm and Muscle Hill Racing, the sophomore increased his seasonal earnings to in excess of $1 million. A winner in 13 of 14 career starts, Muscle Hill possesses career earnings of more than $1.8 million. The time set a new stakes record and equaled an all-age world record, shared by Donato Hanover and Giant Diablo and matched by Lucky Jim earlier on the Hambo Day program.

 

“Midway around the last turn, I could see Ronny tapping Explosive Matter and I knew what that meant,” Peck said. “I know what Muscle Hill is like and when Brian steps on the gas he’s like a sports car that just goes into overdrive and does it easily. Before we went on air on NBC, I said I thought he’d go in 1:50 today.”

 

It was a breakthrough victory for both Peck and Sears. With the win, Sears became the first driver to collect victories in the Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks on the same program.

 

“It’s very humbling to win such prestigious races on a day like today,” said Sears, who teamed with Peck earlier in the program to win the $523,600 Peter Haughton Memorial behind Holiday Road. “I knew I had the horse this year to get it done and I never had any doubts. This horse has just been waiting for me to call on him. I knew he’s been sitting on a big one and he didn’t let me down.”