By Michael Guerin
Ben Hope says the plan is simple with Muscle Mountain in the $60,000 Lone Star Lyell Creek Trot at Alexandra Park tonight.
The rest is up to the big trotter.
Muscle Mountain is racing like a horse in the twilight of his career, still a wonderful trotter but a few percentage points down on his previous top speed and with his ambition levels not always suggesting a full tank.
He was fourth in the TAB Trot last Friday, no small deal, but his new co-trainer and driver Hope admits this is not the scary Muscle Mountain of years gone.
“He is still going really well but maybe isn’t as fast as he was,” says Hope.
“But I think last Friday might actually improve him. He is ready to go a big race this Friday.”
Hope is keen to go back to the tactics that won Muscle Mountain the Group 1 National Trot just four starts ago when he lead and beat a race rival tonight Kyvalley Hotspur by five lengths with Oscar Bonavena third.
“He loves it in front and while he has the outside of the front line he only has six rivals.
“So we will be going forward looking for the front and if Queen Elida is good enough to come off our back and beat us then she is too good.”
Muscle Mountain was $3 when the market for the Group 2 opened on Tuesday but is likely to start favourite and closer to $2 tonight.
