"Ronnie (Waples), my trainer over here, he told me to savour every moment, because you can't buy these feelings," Beverly Ross, one of many fractional owners of the great Muscle Hill, has been quoted as saying in a Toronto Star article which previews
Saturday's Breeders Crown Night at Woodbine Racetrack.
"I'm going to breed to him (Muscle Hill) after, but I'm sure that at least for myself it's going to be a downer. This year has been such a high," Ross continued.
Muscle Hill drew Post 1 for the $617,880 Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Colt Trot. Along with his pilot, Brian Sears, the career $3 million earner has been installed as a heavy 1-5 favourite in the morning line odds.
Muscle Hill will be the next of a long line of the sport's greatest stars to retire after their three-year-old season, as their connections opt for the lucrative breeding shed instead of the racetrack where the fans of the game can appreciate them.
Muscle Hill's Breeders Crown test this Saturday will be the last race of his career, one in which he has won 19 of 20 starts.
"I think as we get closer to the time (of Muscle Hill's retirement), obviously everybody would like to see him keep racing – it's just a matter of economics," Muscle Hill's trainer, Greg Peck, was quoted as saying.
"If there was as much money to go for as there was this year, it's something we probably would have done. But that isn't the case."
To read the Toronto Star article in its entirety, click here.
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Woodbine, click here.
(With files from the Toronto Star)