Bred by Winbak Farm
Driven by Brian Sears
Trained by Greg Peck
Owned by Jerry Silva and Muscle Hill Racing of Long Beach, N.Y.;
TLP Stable of Kearny, N.J., and Southwind Farm of Pennington, N.J

Muscle Hill, undefeated in 12 races as a 3-year-old in 2009, received 164 of 173 votes from the U.S. Harness Writers Association to win the sport's top award as the 2009 Horse of the Year and Dan Patch Award winner.

Muscle Hill’s wins in 2009 included the Hambletonian, Breeders Crown, Kentucky Futurity, Canadian Trotting Classic and World Trotting Derby. He set harness racing’s record for seasonal earnings by any horse of any age, winning $2.45 million in purses.

In the Hambletonian, Muscle Hill equaled the all-age world record of 1:50.1 for trotting on a mile track. He was trained by Greg Peck and driven in all but one start by Brian Sears. Peck was recognized as Trainer of the Year and Sears as Driver of the Year.

Muscle Hill won 20 of 21 lifetime races and finished his career with a 20-race win streak. His average margin of victory was four lengths and no horse was nearer than a length at the finish of any of his 20 triumphs.

He was owned during his racing career by Jerry Silva, TLP Stable, Southwind Farm and Muscle Hill Racing and has been retired to stallion duty at Southwind Farm in New Jersey.

“I think somewhere along the line we expected somebody to challenge him, and they really didn’t,” Peck said. “And then we started to say, well, maybe the crop (of 3-year-old trotters) wasn’t that good. No, I think he made them that way. I think they were actually a very good crop.”

Muscle Hill turned in a dominant performance in the $1,520,333 Hambletonian final on August 8, 2009, leading every step of the mile in a stunning 1:50.1, equaling the all-age world record for a trotter on a mile track. The Muscles Yankee-Yankee Blondie sophomore won his 13th straight race by open lengths over Explosive Matter (Ron Pierce).

The time of 1:50.1, in track and stakes record time, equaled the all-age world record for a mile track. Muscle Hill joins Donato Hanover, Giant Diablo and Lucky Jim, who reached that mark with a win in the Nat Ray earlier in the card. The previous Hambletonian record was held by Glidemaster, 1:51.1 in 2006.

Sears and Muscle Hill went straight ahead from their spot on the rail to trip the timer in :27.1 at the quarter-mile mark, followed by Explosive Matter and Ron Pierce, and Symphonic Hanover (David Miller) a length behind him. That trio stayed in that alignment to the :55 half and then to the three quarters (1:23) in the exact same order. By the time the field turned for home, Pierce was tapping at Explosive Matter, Brian Sears took a quick look over his left shoulder and Muscle Hill continued on an unchallenged path to history.

"He’s a great horse, I had a ton of confidence in him and I knew he could do it," said winning driver Brian Sears. "(The opening quarter of) :27.1 is a pretty honest quarter and I didn’t have to jam him up. I figured I had the best horse and I was going to let him roll. I wasn’t going to go suicidal fractions and let them run me down. My horse was within himself."

Asked what he was thinking as the wire was in sight, Sears chuckled and said, "Just don’t let anything stupid happen, wait for the wire."

"I didn’t say it publicly, but I thought he could go in (1):50 today," said winning trainer Greg Peck, who noted the support of his family, sons Brendan and Sean, and his wife, Nancy. "Nancy’s been through a lot. We came here 19 years ago with nothing. We saw our first Hambletonian here and it’s hard to believe we’re standing here now.

"I can’t help but think of home (Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia)," said Peck. "My father Bernie, my mother Grace, they gave me a great grounding. My father was great with trotters, he was ahead of his time. So it’s nice for them, it really is."

Asked when he thought the race might be won for Muscle Hill, Peck said, "Midway around the turn, I could see Ronny (Pierce) tapping Explosive Matter and I knew what that meant. I know what Muscle Hill is like. When Brian (Sears) steps on the gas, he’s like a sports car that just goes into overdrive and does it easily. It’s humbling to think that because everything’s perfect."

Driver Sears had similar sentiments. "It’s very humbling to win such prestigious races (The Oaks and The Hambletonian) on a day like today. I couldn’t be any happier. I knew I had the horse this year to get it done and I never had any doubts. This horse has just been waiting for me to call on him. I knew he’s been sitting on a big one and he didn’t let us down."

In his final prep for the Hambletonian, Muscle Hill became the sport’s newest millionaire with a career-best 1:52.1 victory in the first of two $185,250 divisions of the Stanley Dancer Memorial on Friday night (July 17) at the Meadowlands. His 1:52.1 clocking was one-fifth of a second off the stakes record of 1:52 set by Mr Muscleman.

Muscle Hill's Career Statistics
Year/Starts/Wins/2nds/3rds    Earnings       Record Venue & Record Date
2009    12      12        0        0       $2,456,041    3, 1:50.1M M 08/08/2009
2008     9        8         1        0       $817,301       2, 1:53.3M M 11/29/2008
Total    21      20        1                 $3,273,342    3, 1:50.1M