Mossdale Ben N rallies to win $516,000 Borgata Pacing Series title

Mossdale Ben N (A Rocknroll Dance) gave harness racing trainer Peter Tritton and driver Jordan Stratton their second MGM Borgata Pacing Series champion together after he won Friday’s (May 9) Grade 1 $516,000 final at MGM Yonkers Raceway. Tritton and Stratton also captured the 2016 final, when it was known as the George Morton Levy Series, with Bit Of A Legend N.

The 4-5 favorite, Mossdale Ben N was unhurried in the early stages and watched as Binge On Yankee (Scott Zeron), For Once Inmy Life (Dexter Dunn) and Chase H Hanover (Anthony Napolitano) traded the top spot in the early stages, with Chase H Hanover the last to the top after the 26.4 quarter-mile marker.

The outer flow then developed on the second turn as Verdun (Pat Lachance) and Huntinthelastdolar (Yannick Gingras) pulled in front of Mossdale Ben N, briefly putting him three-wide before he settled into a third-over position.

Chase H Hanover hit the half in 55.3 and was able to repel Verdun’s first-over attack to three-quarters in 1:23, but Stratton had Mossdale Ben N on a three-wide advance as that clocking went on the board. Mossdale Ben N continued his march on the last turn as Verdun was able to drop into the pocket ahead of a fading For Once Inmy Life, and then Mossdale Ben N overtook Chase H Hanover in the upper part of the stretch.

Chase H Hanover was game to the wire and tried to battle back, but Mossdale Ben N hit the wire a length ahead of him in a 1:51.2 performance. Verdun wound up third, followed by Huntinthelastdolar and Coaches Corner.

MOSSDALE BEN N REPLAY

“With all the discussion (about the early speed in the field), Pete never put any pressure on me. He said ‘whatever I want to do with him.’ He had a lot of confidence in me even in the series, racing him a little conservative with our eye on the prize here,” Stratton remarked. “This is the race we’ve been pointing for, so I wasn’t just going to sit home and come flying late.

“He was great. His caretaker Smiley (Quinteros), he took care of Bit Of A Legend N, too, and he does a phenomenal job. He’s kind of under the radar and doesn’t get a whole lot of press, but he’s one the best guys I know.”

A 7-year-old gelded son of A Rocknroll Dance bred in New Zealand by A.G. Affleck, Mossdale Ben N is a 16-time winner overall and has earned $514,519. Trained by Tritton for owner PJT Investments Inc., Mossdale Ben N paid $3.80 to win as the and led a $40.60 exacta and a $132.00 trifecta.

“I thought I was getting too old, but I’ve still got a couple left in me,” Tritton joked, while also crediting Quinteros for his work with Mossdale Ben N. “Jordan’s always gotten me out of trouble. I get a lot of help from the family, and it’s great to win for them all.”

The $100,000 consolation also went to a Kiwi as Hemsworth N (Dunn) followed Why Not Now (Matt Kakaley) from second-over, and despite losing the cover on the final bend, he vaulted past Why Not Now in the lane to tally by three-quarters of a length in 1:51.3. Aardies Flash N (Jason Bartlett) collected third.

Jared Bako trains Hemsworth N, an 8-year-old gelding by Sweet Lou, for 1362313 Ontario LTD. He made his 29th appearance in the winner’s circle, has now pocketed $562,651 and returned $13.40 to win. He keyed a $111.00 exacta and a $1,197 trifecta.

MGM Yonkers Raceway is currently operating on a Monday/Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday live racing schedule with post time each night at 6:45 p.m. (EDT).

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

From Yonkers Raceway