Muscles Yankee was the fastest two-year-old trotter in 1997 and the fastest three-year-old trotter in 1998. He was voted 1998 Three-Year-Old Colt Trotter of the Year and 1998 New Jersey Standardbred of the Year.
As a two-year-old, Muscles Yankee won six of nine starts with earnings totaling $166,327. He was victorious in the Champlain, International Stallion, Standardbred and the Bluegrass Stakes and the eliminations of the Breeders Crown and the Valley Victory.
Muscles Yankee with trainer Chuck Sylvester
Muscles Yankee had twelve starts with nine victories during his three-year-old season. In 1998 he accumulated $1,258,611 in total earnings, the most money won in North America regardless of age, gender or gait that year. Muscles Yankee won the Hambletonian Stake by three lengths in 1:52.2, establishing himself as the fastest three-year-old trotter of 1998. Additional wins included the Yonkers Trot, Breeders Crown, Beacon Course Trot and the Transylvania Trot.
With seven crops of racing age in the record books, Muscles Yankee was the Leading Moneywinning Sire by Gait in 2003, 2004 and 2005. He has sired 577 starters with 305 in the 2:00 and 58 in 1:55. Their earnings total over $46 million with 112 $100,000 lifetime winners, five $1 million winners and two $3 million winners.
Exceptional progeny include Mr. Muscleman 5,1:51.1s ($3,582,823), winner of the 2003 Kentucky Futurity; Deweycheatumnhowe 3,1:50.4 ($3,155,178), 2007 Two-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year & 2008 Three-year-Old Trotter of the Year as well as the 2008 Hambletonian Stake, Canadian Trotting Classic and Kentucky Futurity; Strong Yankee 3,1:50.3 ($1,434,351), winner of the 2005 Yonkers Trot and Kentucky Futurity; Housethatruthbuilt 3,1:52.4 ($1,164,931); Blur 3,1:55.1s ($1,022,268); and Tom Ridge 3,1:50.2 ($886,144), whose 1:50.2 mile at the 2004 World Trotting Derby made him one of the fastest trotters in history.