Heading into tonight’s of the race at Addington, the Greg and Nine Hope-trained star is vying for his fourth win in five years, Sundees Son breaking his winning run with a race record 3min 10.4sec in 2022.
That time is still the New Zealand record for trotters over 2600m (mobile).
Muscle Mountain is the only trotter to have won the race three times.
Overall he has won 35 from 61 and is on $974,884 in career earnings.
If he wins tonight, he will earn another $55,500, pushing him into millionaire status.
But the 8-year-old is up against it.
Drawn on the second row he is a $4.50 second favourite with the clear top pick being rising star Bet N Win ($1.50).
Muscle Mountain will be one of three Hope runners in the feature along with Midnight Dash ($15) and Mr Love ($61).
Midnight Dash will be driven by Ricky May. He has won the race six times, a record jointly held with Bob Young who won six from 1947 to 1969.
Two-time winners of the race include back-to-back winners Speeding Spur (2018-2019), Stylish Monarch (2010-11), David Moss (1993-94), Nigel Craig (1977-78), Gold Horizon (1952-53) and Aerial Scott (1947-48).
One of the most memorable races was in 1984 when Basil Dean, driven by Kerry O’Reilly, produced one of the great trotting performances in this country.
He cut out the 2600m in a then world record 3min 15.3sec.
It broke his own national record by nearly 5sec and was also faster than the New Zealand pacers’ record at the time.
That was the 3min 15.4sec held jointly by Steel Jaw and Bonnie’s Chance.
Initially the race was held over 3200m but changed to 2600m in 1977.
It has had various names over the years including the NZ Hambletonian Handicap from 1950 to 1965.
There were no races in 1938 and 1951, it being held twice in 1950.
Interestingly a trotter called Lazarus won the race in 1925.
According to HRNZ records, he won six from 35 starts.
