World Champion
makes 2015 debut Friday, April 24 after injury-plagued 2014
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ (April
23, 2015) – When Muscle Network races
Friday night (April 24) at the Meadowlands, it will mark the first start of the
horse’s four-year-old season, but more importantly, it will serve as the first
step in what his owner hopes will be his road to redemption.
“Last year was probably one
of the biggest disappointments I’ve ever had in racing,” said co-owner Joe
Bellino. “It was definitely a bitter pill to swallow.”
Muscle Network set a world
record as a two-year-old when he won the International Stallion Stake at
Lexington in 1:53.2. He ended his season with an upset victory in the $494,750
Valley Victory over Nuncio, who would go on to win two-thirds of the Trotting
Triple Crown last year.
“He’s probably the best
trotter I’ve ever owned by far,” continued Bellino. “We really thought that he
would be one of the top three three-year-olds last season.”
Unfortunately, things did not
go as planned. Muscle Network suffered through a series of nagging injuries and
underwent surgical procedures on his knees. He made only three starts and
earned $5,580.
After spending the winter in
Florida with trainer Ake Svanstedt, Muscle Network appears to be headed in the
right direction. He qualified twice at the Meadowlands, including a
second-place finish last week behind the top trotter Melady’s Monet.
“We were all very, very happy
with his qualifiers,” explained Bellino. “He’s huge, he’s muscular, and he’s
beautiful. He’s a totally different horse than he was. Now, hopefully he races
as good as he looks.”
Muscle Network is now trained
by Tony O’Sullivan, who was also the trainer during his two-year-old season.
Muscle Network has been made eligible to most of the sport’s top trotting
races, including the TVG Free For All Series and premier four-year-old
restricted races including The Graduate Series and Hambletonian Maturity.
Friday’s 13-race card also
features a pair of carryovers in the Jackpot Super High 5 wagers. The fifth
race carryover has grown to $87,136 and the thirteenth race carryover sits at
$58,172.
