Jason Bartlett and Jordan Stratton, who both rank among top five drivers in wins in North America, will face each other in a driving competition November 19 at Monticello Raceway in New York.

Billed as the Battle of the Rising Stars, the two will go head-to-head in all 13 races.

Bartlett, a 26-year-old Maine native who has 564 wins this year, is the leading driver at Yonkers Raceway while Stratton, a 21-year-old Ohio native, has 547 victories and is the top driver at Monticello.

In the Battle of the Rising Stars, each driver will get his pick of horses in every other race on the card. In addition to their driving percentages, $1,000 will go to the driver who scores the most points in the competition.

Stratton, the son of trainer Dave Stratton and nephew of trainer Peter Stratton, won 285 races (just missing a spot in the top 50) and $1.8 million in 2007, which marked his first full season as a driver.

Stratton's decision to pursue a career in racing can be traced back to 2001, when he was the groom for two-time Ohio Sires Stakes champion Noble Cam, trained by his father. One of Stratton's most memorable moments came in August 2006 when he drove Noble Cam to victory at Monticello Raceway.

Bartlett is a former basketball standout in high school and college.

His grandfather, Dick, has been involved in harness racing for decades. His mother, Sonia, also is involved in training horses. Although his family has roots in racing, Bartlett didn't start driving until he was 17.

He picked up his first major victory in 2003, winning a $45,111 Maine Sire Stakes race with Excuse Me Marion, a horse named after his late grandmother. Excuse Me Marion was Maine's Horse of the Year that season and Dick Bartlett was the state's Trainer of the Year.

(Harness Racing Communications)