Muscle Massive Cruises To Simcoe Stakes
Glory
Hambletonian winner Muscle Massive cruised to an
easy two length score after a four week break in the
first of two $127,947 Simcoe Stakes for
three-year-old trotters featured on Saturday’s
stakes-packed program at Mohawk.
Driver Ron Pierce sent
Muscle Massive to the lead from Post 7 and
carved out fractions of :28.3, :59 and 1:27.3 en
route to victory in 1:56.1 over a track rated "good"
and one second off. Text Me (Randy Waples) finished
second off a pocket trip with Hes A Demon (Josy
Jamieson) advancing first up to get third.
“It was a nice little tightner,” said Pierce in
the winner’s circle. “This colt he was wound up
pretty good for the Hambo. I know he’s had a pretty
easy two to three weeks after the Hambo but I
figured he had plenty in his tank.”
Piece said he was not concerned at all about the
track’s condition. “The track’s very good tonight
considering the amount of rain we’ve had,” he noted.
The heavy favourite paid $2.50 to win. Jimmy
Takter trains the son of Muscles Yankee-Graceful
Touch for owners Marvin Katz, Sam Goldband, Al
Libfeld and Louie Camera, all of Ontario, and Order
By Stable and Brixton Medical Ab, both of Sweden.
“My partners Al and Sam and I have been involved
in this industry for almost 30 years and to describe
winning the Hambletonian is beyond words. The day
was a spectacular day,” reflected Katz. “Of course
it was great weather and great for racing, and to
win it was just the ultimate feeling. It was just an
extraordinary feeling. We’ve won other great races
before but that was really an extraordinary thing.
“I want to say thank you to Jimmy Takter,” he
added. “This is really Jimmy Takter’s horse. He’s
done a sensational job. He chose him for us, he
developed him and he loved him right from the get-go.”
The Canadian Trotting Classic eliminations are on
Muscle Massive’s radar next.
Break The Bank K Brilliant In Simcoe
Break The Bank K teamed up with Brian Sears to
demolish the field of three-year-old trotters in the
second $127,947 Simcoe Stakes division.
Windsong Geant (Jody Jamieson) took control of
the field from Post 3 and led the way past the
opening quarter in :27.4 before odds-on Break The
Bank K and Sears made a backstretch brush from third
and cleared the lead at the half in :57.4. The
Revenue S-American Misty colt opened up nearly six
lengths on his rivals en route to the third quarter
in 1:24.4 and continued to extend his lead in the
stretch. By the time he hit the wire in a
career-best 1:54, he had secured a 13-1/2 length
lead. Keystone Swagger (Tim Tetrick) finished second
with Arriba Amigo (Trevor Ritchie) third.
"I think it is a big mile tonight, the track is
definitely off a couple of seconds," noted Sears in
the winner's circle. "He is a pretty talented horse,
I thought he might be the best horse out there this
year coming into his three-year-old campaign but
he's had some attitude problems. If this horse ever
gets his mind right he can be a real strong
contender."
Break The Bank K will also head to the Canadian
Trotting Classic next weekend and when asked how he
stacks up against a horse with Muscle Massive's
credentials, Sears said Break The Bank K can be
competitive.
"He is coming around and getting into form and
you've got to like the way he raced tonight. That
horse is definitely a nice horse, Muscle Massive.
He's shown what he can do and he's not afraid to
race other horses. With the right trip with this
horse (Break The Bank K), and like I said, if he
gets his mind right, he can be right there with him."
Break The Bank K paid $3.70 to win. Trond
Smedshammer trains and Robert Key of Leechburg,
Pennsylvania owns and bred the winner of two races
in 12 starts and $152,732 this year.