by Frank Drucker, Publicity Director, Empire City at Yonkers Raceway

Yonkers, NY — Meadowlands Pace winner Courtly Choice is invading Yonkers Raceway for the first time Tuesday night (Aug. 28), in the $173,500 New York Sire Stakes Armand Palatucci Pace for 3-year-old colts and geldings.

Post time for the 10-race card is 6:50 p.m., with the pair of $86,750 statebred events going as races seven and eight.

Mike Lizzi photo

Meadowlands Pace winner Courtly Choice is invading Yonkers Raceway for the first time Tuesday night.

Courtly Choice drew post position No. 6 in the opening division, with David Miler again driving for co-owners (as part of Mac and Heim Stables)/trainer Blake Macintosh, Daniel Plouffe, Hutt Racing and Touch Stone Farms.

For the season, Courtly Choice has eight wins in 11 starts ($612,018 in earnings), entering off a down-the-road win in the $272,025 final of the Empire Breeders at Tioga in 1:48.3. His 1:47.1 life-best did come in that $701,830 Meadowlands Pace last month.

Tuesday is just his second New York Sire Stakes appearance of the season, having won a Memorial Day event at Vernon in 1:48.4. He’s only made one other small-track start, winning last season’s $50,000 consolation of the NYSS at Monticello.

If Courtly Choice gets a challenge, it’s probably going to come from Heavenly Sounds (Jim Mahon Jr., post three). The Rock N Roll Heaven colt, trained by Bruce Saunders for M&M Harness Racing, has won six races and more than $137,000 this season. He was a snappy sire stakes winner here in 1:52.4 late last month.

Tuesday night’s second and final group includes Macintosh’s Rootin Tootin (Mark MacDonald, post seven), himself a six-figure performer this season with $102,307.

Jersey Jim (Jordan Stratton, post two) has not raced back to his frosh sire stakes championship form, while Ghost Dance (Scott Zeron, post three), Keystone Tenacious (Marohn Jr., post four) and Ideal Feeling (Jason Bartlett, post eight) were all finalists in the Empire Breeders Classic.