Jumal and Muscle Mountain star at Addington

By Michael Guerin

It was hard to work out the most exciting part of Jumal’s return at Addington on Friday.

Obviously the fact he won beating a genuine open class star in the making in The Lazarus Effect was wonderful and a rarity for an early season three-year-old.

Just as exciting was the way he won. Given rein off the gate by Sam Ottley he led then relaxed to conserve energy and trail before sprinting like a special horse up the passing lane.

The Lazarus Effect paced the last 400m off the front in 26.4 seconds so the fact Jumal could blow past him means this is a little horse who wants to win even when he isn’t supposed to.

But it wasn’t that little. On Friday night Jumal was more… squat.

He hasn’t gotten any taller but trainer Steven Reid had been kind to his stable star so he looked fat. 

Not McDonalds for breakfast fat, but fat enough you know there is better to come.

And that, ultimately, is the most thrilling part. 

If Jumal in November 2026 could run past open class horses like The Lazarus Effect that would be buzzy.

The fact he can do when carrying some belly butter on the last weekend in February with somewhere between 2 and 5 lengths of improvement possible this three-year-old season is mouth-watering.

“I enjoyed that,” said Reid, who was cautious going into the race.

“I know he was bigger than he will be for much of the campaign and there is improvement to come but the second horse is a good horse so to beat him is bloody exciting.”

Jumal will be flown to Auckland on March 10 and race in the Alabar Classic three days later, followed by the Harness Million a week after that.

“Then with the Derby up there not being until May 1 we will fly him home to prepare him for that from home.”

Unless…. Unless what?

Unless somebody with a slot in the $1m Race at Cambridge on April 10 decides they’d like to tempt Reid and owner Malcolm Wrigley with a start, knowing that IF no mares are entered for the race Jumal would draw 1.

Try telling me Jumal couldn’t pace 2:35 for 2200m at his peak around Cambridge?

“I hadn’t thought of that,” smiled Reid.

“You know, if no mares were coming it would be tempting. But ultimately it would be Malcolm’s decision.”

You know it won’t happen, but you also know you kind of wish it would.

A horse at the other end of his career, and the other end of the size spectrum, was the second harness hero on Friday night.

His name is Muscle Mountain.

Very few horses in this part of the world win the same Group 1 four time, the most glowing being Blacks A Fake in the Inter, but Muscle Mountain did just that in the Fred Shaw NZ Trotting Champs.

Remarkably he has also run second in the race twice but for win No.4 the big fella got plenty of help from co-trainer and driver Ben Hope on Friday.

Hope was aggressive enough to go hard to lead then smart enough to take the trail behind Eurostyle.

And ultimately patient enough to wait for the passing lane and use the millionaire’s speed.

Muscle Mountain is an old marvel, defying the pressure that he must put his huge frame under as he gets older, the Hopes plastering him with tender loving care that he can wear like a suit of armour against old age.

His best days may be behind him.

Jumal’s are almost certainly ahead of him.

But for a blissful 30 minutes at Addington on Friday night they were magnificent in the same space and all felt good in our little harness racing world.