Muzzys Muscles has squared off with fellow trotter Bonamassa in all four of his starts at Saratoga Casino Hotel this season, and the Credit Winner gelding held his ground for a 1:58.1 win in a co-featured $9,000 event for New York-sired trotters on Wednesday afternoon (March 13).

The Monica Krist trainee has developed a bit of a rivalry with Bonamassa, as the two have all but matched strides in the stretch in three of their four races with each other. The week that Muzzys Muscles prevailed, Bonamassa was parked the mile. In both of the other two instances, Bonamassa bested the five-year-old by narrow margins.

Muzzys Muscles was bet down to odds of 1-5 with leading driver Billy Dobson in the bike. With Bonamassa drawing poorly in this week's event, Muzzys Muscles was heavily backed and raced like the favourite he was. After clearing the lead following a first-over trip, Muzzy’s Muscles held off the late charge from his new rival to prevail in 1:58.1, a time that serves as a new seasonal mark. Bonamassa (Brett Crawford) was strong in defeat, while Kapow (Phil Fluet) earned the show spot.

The successful combination of Muzzys Muscles and Bonamassa didn’t take the bettors by surprise, as the exacta returned $8.70.

Live racing continues on Thursday afternoon (March 14) with a matinee starting at 12 p.m. There is a $5,000 guarantee in the Pick Five pool on Thursday. The Pick Five begins in race one. Race five features a $25,000 guarantee in its triple pool.

(with files from Saratoga Casino Hotel)