Muscle Hill is a Crown king

World champion Muscle Hill capped off his phenomenal career in style with another top-notch triumph in the $617,880 Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Colt Trot Saturday evening at Woodbine Racetrack.

Hot Shot Blue Chip (Mike Lachance) and Tom Cango (Tim Tetrick) were the early breakers as Swan For All (Ron Pierce) leapt to an early two length advantage from Post 7 with the 1-9 overwhelming favourite, Muscle Hill and Brian Sears, getting away fourth from Post 1. At the :28.3 quarter pole, Sears sent Muscle Hill first-up and the talented trotter landed the lead at the :57.2 half-mile marker. After settling on top, Muscle Hill fired off a 1:24.1 third quarter and kicked away by two lengths for the 1:54.1 triumph.

Triumphant Caviar (Luc Ouellette) was the runner-up. Swan For All finished third after making a break off the final turn, but was placed back to sixth for moving inside the pylons and gaining an unfair advantage. Fourth place finisher Neighsay Hanover (John Campbell) inherited third.

Greg Peck trains the winner for owners Jerry Silva, Muscle Hill Racing LLC of Long Beach, New York, T L P Stable of Kearny and Southwind Farm of Pennington, New Jersey.

The son of Muscles Yankee-Yankee Blondie has won 20 consecutive races since finishing second in his career debut at two on July 3, 2008 at the Meadowlands Racetrack. With the win, Muscle Hill became the third trotter to earn Crown titles in both his two and three-year-old seasons joining Malabar Man (1996-97) and Mack Lobell, who won three Crowns (1986-88). He has also earned victories in the Peter Haughton, Hambletonian, Canadian Trotting Classic, Kentucky Futurity and World Trotting Derby amassing $3,318,682 lifetime and making him the second trotter (along with Deweycheatumnhowe) to surpass $3 million in earnings before turning four.

"I still remember meeting Greg Peck at the bar in Harrisburg, and he told me he came there for one horse," recalled owner Tom Pontone in the winner's circle. "I asked him what he liked most and it was the video.

"I would never have guessed we'd get two Breeders Crowns. We were just looking for a solid trotter. He's the best trotter I've seen in the last 25, 30 years."

Muscle Hill will hang up his racing shoes and head to Southwind Farms of New Jersey to begin his stallion career.

"I can't wait to race his foals, I would have loved to keep seeing him on the track but it's time for him to go to stud."

"It's emotional but I'm excited to see him go to stud," added co-owner Lou Pontone. (WEG)

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