Harry Von Knoblauch Stable's Bit Of A Legend N won the 11th Annual Bobby Quillen Memorial in 1:52.1 Monday at Harrington Raceway.
Trained by Peter Tritton, the eight-year-old Bettors Delight stallion and driver Jordan Stratton never had an anxious moment in his wire-to-wire win over pocket-sitting Mach It So and All Bets Off, who rallied well for third. It was Bit Of A Legend’s seventh win of the year and 40th of his career. He paid $4.00 to win.
It was a bit of a homecoming for Tritton, who was stabled at Harrington Raceway for nearly a decade before moving to the New York circuit in 2015.
The annual event celebrated the memory of former long time Delaware legislator Bobby Quillen, who was a regular at the racetrack and was a member of the Board of Directors at Harrington Raceway and the Delaware State Fair. Quillen passed away 13 years ago to the day of this year's event.
Knoblauch, passed away earlier this summer and was a long time supporter of harness racing.
Two $20,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund events for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings were contested in their first leg of stakes action.
Heavily favoured Transitioning Joy ($2.40, Montrell Teague), a Barber Pole colt, did not disappoint his backers in the first division. Owned by Joy and George Teague, Jr., Transitioning Joy set all the fractions in his 1:54.3 narrow win for trainer Clyde Francis over Slick Tony, who was a game second, and Friendsrforever. A photograph was needed to separate the top two. Transitioning Joy is a son of Barber Pole.
Jim King Jr.'s Evolution Tour ($3.80, Victor Kirby) won the second division in 1:55.3 over America First and Fulla Nitro. The Roddys Bags Again gelding set all the fractions in his decisive win for his owner/trainer.
Richard Pollucci's Christen Me ($6, Jordan Stratton) won the overnight feature, a $17,500 Open event for trainer King, Jr. in 1:53.
(Harrington Raceway)