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USTA Blogs Say Muscle Hill Will Race in World Trot in Du Quoin

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ Muscle Hill, winner of the Hambletonian and perhaps the greatest trotting colt of all time is expected to be in the field for the Saturday, Sept. 5 World Trotting Derby here at the Du Quoin State Fair.

Dean Hoffman of the United States Trotting Association wrote in his column this week:

"It seems as if there has been nothing but bad news for Illinois racing in recent years, but there is some good news for the Land of Lincoln.

"It's the arrival of Muscle Hill for the American-National and then for the World Trotting Derby at Du Quoin.

"It's likely that if he catches a good day at Du Quoin, we'll see the first sub-1:50 trotting mile on a mile track. He was on absolutely cruise control in winning the Hambletonian in 1:50.1 and it's scary to think that Brian Sears hasn't searched for the bottom of this colt.

"One of my European friends was so impressed that that he called Muscle Hill a "freak of nature" and said he's the greatest trotter he's ever seen. So he's flying to the U.S. to see this colt with his own eyes.

Muscle Hill will encounter some worthy opponents, but the Hambo runner-up Explosive Matter ducked a rematch duel in Du Quoin and is heading to Canada."

Trainer Greg Peck in his blog "View from the (Muscle) Hill, writes that he drove the colt at the Red Mile in Lexington.

"I thought I would drive him because I didn't want Brian to have to come all the way to go a qualifier with him. He's got a busy schedule, it was a Friday morning. I knew he would be no problem and was in good shape, ready to go and that I could go with him. Based on that, now he's ready to go on to the American-National in Chicago. I'll fly in Saturday and out Sunday, the horse will ship from Lexington, where he's stabled. If all goes well at the American-National, then we'll look to move forward to the World Trotting Derby the following Saturday (on September 5 at the Du Quoin State Fair).

"A lot of people have been talking about the possibility that Muscle Hill could go under 1:50. I've always said I want to win the race. If that (a sub-1:50 mile) happens, it happens and that's fine. If it doesn't, that's fine, too. The day of the Hambletonian, a lot of people said to me that they wish Brian had tried for sub-1:50. But you know what? Brian always takes care of him and that's why the horse has come back like he has. I don't think there were too many people at the Hambletonian who didn't think we could have done that anyway, so we might as well have done it.

"The conventional wisdom is that he could have gone in 1:49 and a piece in the Hambletonian. We won't be going to Du Quoin with that in mind, but again, that would be up to Brian Sears.

"It's still a horse race and he still has to win.

I haven't been to Du Quoin since 1974, when Christopher T won and it was Billy Haughton's first Hambletonian victory (before the Hambletonian was moved from Du Quoin to the Meadowlands). I went with my uncle (the late) Dr. Joseph G. Peck (a former member of the Illinois Racing Board)"

--Our appreciation to the USTA staff.