by Frank Drucker, Yonkers Raceway Publicity Director

Yonkers,NY —The Empire’s plebe posse hits town Friday night (Aug. 25), with YonkersRaceway hosting the $159,000 New York Sire Stakes Jim Meagher Pace for2-year-old colts and geldings.

Threemeticulously carved-out, seven-horse divisions—at $53,000 each—go as races five,six and seven during the dozen-race card. First post is the usual 7:10 p.m,with the evening’s sire stakes honoring the memory of the Raceway’s long-timecorporate controller.

Theopening event has one entrant—Paprike Blue Chip (Corey Callahan, post five)—witha sire stakes win, a 1:55 effort at Saratoga. The Roll With Joe gelding,trained by John Butenschoen for co-owners Harmony Oaks & Crawford Racingand VIP Internet Stable, has been around the Westchester block before,finishing fourth in his elimination for last month’s Lawrence B. Sheppard Pace.

Friday’ssecond grouping finds out if anyone can take out the ‘Hitman’. Hitman Hill(Brett Miller, post one) not only won the draw, but invades off a wicked,life-best 1:50.4 NYSS win at Vernon. The American Ideal gelding, co-owned byTom Hill & North Fork Racing and trained by Chris Oakes, has won both ofhis career tries.

PersistBlue Chip (George Brennan, post four) and Jersey Jim (Jim Devaux, post seven)also have sire stakes wins, at Monticello and Saratoga, respectively. Devaux ismaking his first local appearance since the NYSS season of 2012.

Springsteen(Chris Ryder, post six), though winless in four tries, opened some eye socketswith a pair of rousing seconds in the elim and final of the Sheppard.

Thefinal Meagher mélange includes Jimtastic (Jordan Stratton, post one), goingafter a third sire stakes win. The one asterisk is a tiring (to fourth) effortin his latest try at Vernon. He lost that race to one of Friday’s rivals, Mr.Profeta (Dan Dube, post five), another Sheppard refugee.

Jimtastic,an Art Major colt, is trained by Andrew Harris for Ontario co-owners Brad Grayand Denise Guerrero. This ‘Mr.’, meanwhile, is an Anatolia Farm homebred son ofRoll with Joe trained by Rolland Mallar.

CasualCool (Jason Bartlett, post two) tries for a fourth NYSS win. The $165,000(Harrisburg) son of American Ideal, owned by Ken Jacobs and trained byLinda Toscano, threw down a life-best 1:52.2 at Vernon in his latest outing. He may not be aware of it, but he’s the priciest of the three-divisiongroup.