The final preliminary round of the MGM Borgata Pacing Series is set to take place on Monday (April 28) at MGM Yonkers Raceway. The likelihood that the leg will materially change the shape of the field for the final is slim, as most of the eight spots in the rich final, set to take place on May 9, are well secured. The fourth round of the Borgata completed on Monday (April 21) was interesting in the fact that you could tell things were a bit more serious, at least for a pair of horses that entered the round in precarious positions. With five preliminary legs, it's hard to say that there isn't a fairer series of races in North America where horses get the optimal number of chances to reach the final. At the same time, drawing outside or into a stacked division can at times compromise a horse's chances. Yet over a five week period of preliminaries the odds balance out, and when they do, horses and horsemen must make the most of their opportunities. That's why it hardly came as a surprise to see two veteran drivers caught in a bitter speed duel as this year's contender Binge On Yankee (Scott Zeron) was in a do-or-die battle with the 2023-24 champion Hellabalou (Yannick Gingras), as the former parked the latter through an incredibly fast 26 2/5 first fraction and then dealt with pressure the entire mile. Hellabalou has clearly not been the same horse this year, but Binge On Yankee has come to play each week and was in search of a second leg victory and a definite spot in the final. In the end, the early and consistent pressure inevitably was too much, and Binge On Yankee was passed late by Chase H Hanover, a horse, having missed the third leg intentionally, was in need of a win to be sitting on the fence for a spot in the final. Binge On Yankee's second-place finish still put him eighth in points for the final. He is just 15 ahead of Chase H Hanover (second nets a horse 25 points in addition to 25 participation points), yet his chances could be on shaky ground as the fifth leg draw, where three $50,000 divisions are in place, finds him with post two outside last year's final runner-up and this year's presumed favorite, Coaches Corner (post one). The field also includes another guaranteed finalist in For Once Inmy Life (post seven), with the three-leg winner perhaps in a position to race from off-the-pace, if necessary, given the outside draw and the obvious high purse race in the immediate future. The fourth leg did see For Once Inmy Life get the better of Coaches Corner, as driver Jason Bartlett elected to race from off-the-pace and could not make up enough ground in the final stages. To me the conservative drive was forced when another horse got in between Jordan Stratton and Jason Bartlett on the first turn and forced Bartlett's hand. Coaches Corner, among all likely horses to be in this year's MGM Borgata final, has the benefit of three key elements racing at Yonkers now or perhaps any time in the past. He's got the leading driver in Bartlett, the leading trainer by far in Per Engblom, and, perhaps even more important, he has clearly shown that he can muster up enough quick early speed to secure early position or race on the outside with or without cover to a solid result. Those elements may prove most advantageous since some of the other leading contenders for a top spot in the final have elements in their arsenal that could compromise their chances with big money on the table. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter Mossdale Ben N, the leading point-getter in the series, has left slowly for position at times but never shown high speed sprinting to the top in any of his now eight starts at Yonkers since coming to this country. Like his rival Coaches Corner, Mossdale Ben N suffered one lone defeat in the series, ceding the lead to Coaches Corner in a division of the third leg of the Borgata and losing the battle in the final quarter sprint in a 1:50 4/5 mile, the fastest of any in the series. Despite seven wins in eight tries for trainer Peter Tritton, Mossdale Ben N has at times seemed challenged by the turns at Yonkers, though his overpowering late kick has managed to nullify any presumed handicap. It wouldn't at all be surprising to see driver Jordan Stratton trying something different this Monday with Mossdale Ben N given the 7-year-old by A Rocknroll Dance drew the rail against five rivals that may be more than willing to let him cut the pace without incident. This is perhaps a key element not just for Mossdale Ben N's profile but for driver Stratton, who to date has not had to commit between Mossdale Ben N and For Once Inmy Life, two guaranteed finalists he's driven exclusively throughout the preliminaries. While Coaches Corner has been as good throughout the preliminary legs in 2025 as he was last year in the MGM Borgata Series, the same could not be said for Desperate Man. Totally dominant in 2024 until the final, Desperate Man struggled to gain any traction as the beaten favorite in all three of his initial efforts in the series this year. Questions of his demise were in fact premature as the powerful 7-year-old son of Shadow Play reintroduced himself to the series with a statement effort in a dominating fourth-leg win that all but secured him a spot in this year's final. Trainer Travis Alexander had contended that perhaps the big horse needed more time to shake off the rust, having spent extra time out of action between his 2024 and 2025 campaigns. Well, the rust came off in a major way, as not only did Desperate Man survive getting parked into the second turn for command, but he also easily shed the solid Verdun in the two-hole on the backstretch and was still strong through a 28 1/5 final quarter and a solid 1:51 mile. Desperate Man may earn a bit more respect this week in Monday's final leg, with post four in a field that includes guaranteed finalists Verdun (post one) and Huntinthelastdolar (post five), two horses he defeated in the fourth round. Of course, no matter the results this week, one of the key elements to the rich MGM Borgata Series final on May 9, with a purse likely to be right around $550,000, will be post draw. While some have the capacity to overcome a bad draw, at this point the serious question is what a bad draw might mean for either Desperate Man or Mossdale Ben N when the day comes. While Desperate Man has found the top in his preliminary legs, it has clearly come from a lot of extra work on the outside of the track. In his last two legs he was off the gate at the start and didn't get involved in the first turn skirmish. If that pattern continues to the final, Desperate Man could be compromised in the exact fashion he was in the 2024 final when he was parked the mile, yet bravely finished third. The build-up of five preliminary legs gives rise to the anticipation that the final will prove a compelling race to watch and wager on. The MGM Borgata Series final has provided thrills and upsets in the past few years, and with legitimate contenders once again, all the elements are in place to see the 2025 edition play out in unconventional ways. While we have seen a ton of fast miles to-date in the preliminary legs of the series, there has not been a point where two horses were entangled in the kind of speed duel witnessed when Linedrive Hanover and Desperate Man were responsible for fractions of 26 4/5, 53 1/5 and 1:21 1/5, setting up the 11-1 upset victory of Hellabalou. The 2025 final is likely to produce the same kind of fireworks, making May 9 a date to circle on any harness racing fans' calendar.