Northfield, OH — Two very classy performers, one 10-years-old and the other 65, teamed up to score a popular victory in Northfield Park’s weekly Great Lakes Amateur Driving Association event on Sunday (Oct. 22).

Steve Oldford guided his classy veteran trotter Muscles For Life (Muscle Mass) to a wire-to-wire 1:58 victory, holding off Baby Yoda, driven by Edward Miller, by a half-length. Golden Genes, handled by Jacob Baird, was just another nose back in third.

Muscles For Life, leaving from post three was sent with alacrity off the wings but met immediate pressure from Black Hawk Down, driven by Eric Miller. The result was a very hot :27.3 opener with these two racing as a team though the half in :56.3. Around turn two, Black Hawk Down began to feel some weariness from that first half tussle but then came Brigitto to call to keep the pressure on the leader at that third station in 1:26.3.

After putting away that challenge, Muscles For Life then had to deal with Baby Yoda, who was drafting behind the leader much of the way while finding a seam turning for home. But while gaining slightly, Muscles For Life had enough left to score by that half-length margin.

In a post race interview, Oldford said, “He (Muscles For Life) might be aging a bit — aren’t we all — but he’s very classy and that class propelled him to the wire here.

“He might not be able to handle those 1:53 performers like when he was younger, but he has that will to win — a great quality in a racehorse.”

Indeed.

Muscles For Life won for the third time in six 2023 starts to send his lifetime bounty to $470,407. This was his 46th career win in 137 lifetime starts. Trained by Maurice Goldschmidt Jr. for Oldford Racing, Muscles For Life paid $4.00 to his multitude of faithful.

Oldford now has 202 career wins.