Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Never in the history of harness racing’s Horse of the Year voting has a trotter won the honor with an undefeated season. That could change this year if Muscle Hill — the No. 1 ranked horse in the weekly harness racing poll — wins the $600,000 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male trotters on October 24 at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto.

Muscle Hill has won 19 consecutive races since finishing second in his career debut as a 2-year-old. He is 11-for-11 this season, with victories in the Hambletonian, Kentucky Futurity, Canadian Trotting Classic, World Trotting Derby, American-National, New Jersey Sire Stakes final, and a division of the Stanley Dancer Memorial.

The closest a trotter came to an undefeated Horse of the Year campaign was in 1948 when Rodney won 12 of 13 starts (with the setback being a second-place finish). Four pacers have had unbeaten Horse of the Year seasons: Artsplace in 1992, Forrest Skipper in 1986, Niatross in 1979, and Bret Hanover in 1964.

In addition, Muscle Hill would set harness racing’s single-season record for earnings with a win in the Breeders Crown. Muscle Hill would surpass $2.45 million with the triumph, breaking pacer Somebeachsomewhere’s record of $2.44 million set last year.

Muscle Hill has earned $2.97 million in his career.

Donato Hanover reached the Breeders Crown for 3-year-olds in 2007 at the Meadowlands Racetrack with a perfect 11-for-11 record, but finished second in his elimination race and third in the final.

Oddly, the last 3-year-old male trotter to win divisional honors and also win the Breeders Crown was Mr Muscleman in 2003.

Muscle Hill will not need to compete in an elimination race as only nine other trotters entered the event.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

A Breeders Crown win would make Muscle Hill the richest single-season Standardbred in history.

“You’d like to win it because it’s going to be his last race,” said Muscle Hill’s trainer, Greg Peck. “You’d like the curtain to close on a winning note. Also, the last two years, the 3-year-old colt champions, Dewey and Donato (Deweycheatumnhowe and Donato Hanover) didn’t do it. We’d like to be able to get it done.”

Peck was not morose about the colt’s impending last race and his departure for the breeding shed.

“I’ve said all along, it’s time,” Peck said. “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 on a mile track, Peck cited “gait and intelligence” as the two qualities he most hopes Muscle Hill will pass on to his progeny.

“He’s very intelligent,” Peck said. “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 Bluegrass and Simcoe stakes divisions earlier this year. Neighsay Hanover has the next highest earnings in the field of 10, with $419,540 in 19 starts this year.

The full field in alphabetical order is Broadway Bistro, Hot Shot Blue Chip, Howthehaloareyou, Muscle Hill, Neighsay Hanover, PJ Clark, Striking Lindsey, Swan For All, Tom Cango, and Triumphant Caviar.

Post positions will be drawn at the Breeders Crown press conference on Tuesday, October 20, hosted by former Houston Oilers and Edmonton Eskimos star Warren Moon.