Racing: Trainer sounds Jewels warning

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Outstanding trotting trainer Greg Hope has compared his latest star Muscle Mountain to former champion Monbet in the countdown to Sunday's $900,000 Jewels meeting at Cambridge — and Hope says he feels sorry for any horse or driver who gets in Muscle Mountain's way in the $100,000 4-year-old trot.

Hope and wife Nina have both Muscle Mountain (barrier seven) and Midnight Dash (five) in the mobile mile and those frontline draws give them a potentially huge advantage over northern trotting hero Bolt For Brilliance, who has drawn the second line.

Bolt For Brilliance was stunning coming from last to beat older rivals in a national record for a 2200m standing start at Alexandra Park on Friday night, and has beaten Muscle Mountain before, but that was when he settled in front of him, which looks incredibly unlikely on Sunday.

"The draw really hasn't helped us," admits his trainer-driver Tony Herlihy. "It looks like we are going to be behind a couple of those other favourites early, so we can hopefully get the right run into the race.

"I know how good Muscle Mountain is, and giving him a start, if that is how it works out, will be very hard," he says.

Muscle Mountain and stablemates Midnight Dash and Mr Love (2-year-old trot) spent yesterday in Dannevirke, not a town usually associated with great harness horses, but often used as a stopover by the Hopes at a relative's farm to break up the long trip north from Christchurch.

"They have travelled well so far and it does them some good to be able to get out in the paddock and have a lie down at the halfway stage of the trip," says Hope. "They will be at Luk Chin's place near Cambridge by Monday afternoon."

Muscle Mountain has been the find of the open-class trotting season as he has emerged from being a talented age-group performer to being good enough to beat our best trotter Sundees Son a few starts ago.

"I think he is a very good horse, maybe as good as we have had," says Hope. "He has as much ability as Monbet and works as good, if not better than him. Monbet was the all-round package, whereas this guy isn't as mature at the same stage but he has the same motor."

Monbet came to Cambridge as a 2-year-old and bolted away with a Jewels before going on to be one of the best trotters of the past 20 years in this part of the world, before unsoundness stopped him from joining the list of all-time greats.

Muscle Mountain could also become a special horse if his mammoth frame doesn't betray him, and Hope says while he has had growing pains, he is better this campaign and worked superbly on Saturday morning before leaving Canterbury.

"We couldn't be happier with where he is at," says Hope. "I'm sure Ben [Hope, driver] will roll forward and keep going and I feel sorry for any horse who gets in his way."

Hope says the ultra-consistent Midnight Dash also has the gate speed to be a factor early, with American Pride (barrier one) perhaps the only frontline rival capable of parking the pair, probably at his own peril.

Muscle Mountain opened the $1.70 TAB favourite and is already in to $1.60, with Bolt For Brilliance a $3.40 chance and Midnight Dash appealing as one of the value place bets of the day at his $2 opening quote.