by Bill Heller, for The Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund

Latham, NY — Here is one in a series of closer looks at the eight New York Sire Stakes divisional leaders and their biggest threats in the $1.8 million Night of Champions at Yonkers Raceway on Sept. 22.

Two-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace

The Leader: Doctor Butch, a son of Art Major, out of Classical Yankee, by Jenna’s Beach Boy, owned by Ken Jacobs and trained by Linda Toscano.

Despite finishing second by a neck at 1-10 to Bet The Moon in the final of four $72,000-plus divisions of the NYSS in 1:55.2 at Yonkers Raceway on Sept. 6, Ken Jacobs’ Doctor Butch remains atop the standings by 50 points with only one race left — Saturday (Sept. 15) at Vernon Downs.

“He was a little sick (that) night,” Doctor Butch’s trainer, Linda Toscano, said. “We had him scoped. No big deal.”

Jacobs said, “It was a little infection in his throat. He got some antibiotics.”

Both Toscano and Jacobs said Doctor Butch will be ready to go in the $225,000 NYSS final on the Night of Champions at Yonkers Raceway.

There was a reason Doctor Butch was 1-10. Following a brave second from the eight post in the $119,000 Sheppard final at Yonkers, he’d won five straight races, including NYSS divisions at Saratoga, Batavia, Yonkers and Tioga Downs, where he took a mark of 1:52.

Edwin Gold’s Bet The Moon, trained by Ron Burke and driven by Jason Bartlett on Sept. 6, is no slouch, having finished second in five consecutive NYSS stops, two of them to Doctor Butch. He turned it around with a flawless drive by Bartlett, who made the lead early, ceded it to Doctor Butch, and edged him late as the 4-1 second choice in the field of eight.

The 50 points moved Bet The Moon up to fifth in the NYSS standings, behind Doctor Butch (250), Deny Deny Deny (200), Swift As A Shadow (190) and Thirty Two Red (188).

Behind Bet The Moon are Framed Art (162) and Americasgottalent (137). Story Book and Sir Cary’s Z Tam are tied for eighth, the final spot to make the final, with 115. Tijuana Party (92), Track Master D (80) and Scalped (75) are next.