It's been nine years since Bit Of A Legend N swept through the eliminations and captured the final of the MGM Borgata Pacing Series (nee George Morton Levy) at Yonkers Raceway. The horse put young driving star Jordan Stratton on the map. Following the first two legs of the 2025 Borgata Series, similarities can be seen between the 2016 champion and the locally undefeated Mossdale Ben N. Stratton has been in the bike behind Mossdale Ben N from the first time he qualified at Yonkers on February 7 through the April 7 second-leg victory. In six straight starts the Peter Tritton-trained 7-year-old by A Rocknroll Dance has raced from off-the-pace and in each start has found the winner's circle in rather easy fashion. "He's won comfortably each time," said Stratton of the budding superstar that he has enjoyed sitting behind. "Peter (Tritton) thought highly of him when he came over." Yet, despite the big miles Mossdale Ben N has put in to date, Stratton is a long way from putting him in the same sentence with Bit Of A Legend N. "That horse holds a special place in my heart," said Stratton of the horse who was a big part of his life between 2016-19, with 32 victories during that four-year span and earnings over $1.9 million. While it is way too early to predict what Mossdale Ben N's career stats will look like once he's finished racing in North America, it would be fair to say his arrival stateside was not the same as Bit Of A Legend N's was in 2016. Bit Of A Legend N earned $659K before arriving in North America, and much of that came during his first two years racing, with 17 wins and 11 seconds in his first 37 races. In contrast, Mossdale Ben N had just eight wins in 43 starts and just $110K earned over that four-year stretch. Putting the past aside for a bit, the comparisons start becoming more realistic when you look at the racing styles of the pair, and much of that has to do with Stratton more than the horse himself. "I'm sure he can leave the gate," Stratton said when asked of the racing tactics he's employed in the six starts to date. "Right now, I'm just protecting him. I've seen a lot of horses come over here and get beaten on the front-end and get their feelings hurt." Stratton's contention is that during the acclimation process it is entirely possible for a horse to feel the sting of getting passed and lose the will in races that follow. "I just try to protect them as much as possible," Stratton said. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter While the three wins by Mossdale Ben N came moving up the conditioned ladder at Yonkers, the last three have been against Invitational types and horses with the power not only to win preliminary legs in the Borgata but take down the final, just as Bit Of A Legend N did in 2016. Perhaps Mossdale Ben N will have an opportunity in the not too distant future. What Mossdale Ben N has done thus far in the Borgata has been astounding, to say the least. Stratton has willingly taken him off the gate and moved back to last. In both winning legs he drew post six and was well off-the-pace through the first quarter. While many drivers wait until the third turn to activate horses coming from off-the-pace, Stratton had no issues moving Mossdale Ben N on the second turn in each Borgata leg and was able to fish out cover to follow by the half. On March 31 Mossdale Ben N still seemed to be pace-compromised as the half was rung up in just 56 1/5 and Stratton was more than five lengths behind the leader. The driver had more issues to deal with on that occasion as his cover stalled and he was pushed three-wide on the backstretch and into the final turn. Steering behind cover into the final turn, Mossdale Ben N was full of pace when sent wide and enveloped Its A Me Mario, as well as last year's multiple-leg winner Desperate Man. If Mossdale Ben N needed to be tested for class any further, last Monday's (April 7) second leg saw him once again give up the advantage early in the mile and still be sitting fifth with cover at three-quarters, four lengths off-the-pace and trying to reach the classy Charlie May. Things didn't go as smoothly as Stratton had hoped on the final turn. "I got hit by a rock and was blinded briefly," said Stratton, blaming himself for the incident. "In the stretch he was lugging in a little." Despite a course correction there was no denying Mossdale Ben N's power and willingness to go by the pace-setter, as well as the impressive first-leg winner Verdun, who provided solid cover for the winner. With 1:51 1/5 and 1:51 3/5 victories in the opening legs, both done from off-the-pace and surprisingly not as the public choice, Mossdale Ben N looks to emulate the "Legend" with three consecutive leg wins this Monday (April 14) in one of four $50,000 divisions, having drawn post two and inside last year's final runner-up Coaches Corner. For Stratton, the third round of the Borgata allows him a little bit of a breather before an inevitable decision is necessary. With five leg wins in the first two rounds of the series, Stratton has put himself in a good spot, if you will. He drove For Once Inmy Life to his second consecutive Borgata win as well on April 7, and the driver knows at some point both horses are likely to be in the same division or perhaps the final. "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it," said Stratton of the difficult question. Fortunately, For Once Inmy Life is sitting the third leg out, and perhaps with a win on Monday Mossdale Ben N would be in position to skip a leg as well, decreasing the odds that Stratton might have to make a choice before the May 9 final. For Once Inmy Life has won both of his legs on the front-end and is off to a great start in 2025, having won five of eight races and finished second in the others. "He's been great in every start," said Stratton of For Once Inmy Life.