by Frank Drucker, publicity director, Empire City at Yonkers Raceway

Yonkers, NY — Three days after Labor Day finds the state’s rookie trotters — male variety — hard at work at Yonkers Raceway in the $242,100 New York Sires Stakes Milt Taylor. Post time for the 10-race card is 7:40 p.m., with the quartet of statebred events going as races three, four, six and seven.

Napoleon the colt may or may not be short in stature, but he’s tall in the standings. The division leader drew post position three in the evening’s first ($59,975) Taylor division, with Stephane Bouchard driving for trainer Noel Daley. The son of Credit Winner, co-owned by the foursome of Korn, Tucci, Thomases and Guarniere, has three wins and two seconds in six seasonal starts ($79,806). Napoleon owns NYSS wins at Tioga (life-best 2:00), Saratoga and, most recently, Monticello.

Velocity Hall (Brian Allen, post six), like Napoleon, was a blowout NYSS winner in the Catskills. The son of Conway Hall, owned by Thomas Dillon and trained by Jonas Czernyson, has a pair of wins and a trio of seconds ($68,300) in a half-dozen ’07 tries.

Thursday’s second ($61,075) Sires Stakes event finds DW’s Spitfire (Dan Daley, post seven), with earnings in excess of $58,000, looking for a third seasonal victory. The son of Dilbert Hanover, trained by Daley for co-owners Ann-Mari Daley, Bob Pergament and Richard Lombardo, was a statebred winner at Monticello in his most recent appearance.

Credit Press (Jim Morrill, Jr., post one) has a win and five seconds in his eight ’07 appearances ($49,572).

The evening’s third NYSS gathering, worth $59,975, includes the talented Ace High Hall (Morrill, Jr., post six), thrice a winner and thrice a bridesmaid in his six seasonal sojourns ($70,221). The son of Conway Hall, trained by Mark Ford for owner Martin Scharf, negotiated the three turns at Tioga in 1:58.2 in late July.

DW’s Warrior (Allen, post two), All You Want (Jim Doherty, post three) and Colie’s (Morrill, Jr. post four) have each earned between $35,000 and $39,000 this summer.

The final ($61,075) NYSS division is led by Holiday Credit (Ron Pierce, post five), board-placed in every effort thus far (three wins, two seconds, one third), with earnings of $75,598. The Credit Winner plebe, trained by Jimmy Takter for his wife, Christina, along with John Fielding and a pair of Swedish stables, was a 2:00 flat winner at Monticello in his most recent effort.

Mr Pignaroni (Ray Schnittker, post one), part of a Schnittker-trained entry, has been in-the-money in five of his seven ’07 work days/nights ($33,639).

The multi-million-dollar New York Sires Stakes traverse the state, culminated by the $1.2 million New York Night of Champions here on Saturday, September 15, featuring eight, $150,000 divisional finals. Please visit www.nysirestakes.com for a complete schedule and further information.

Live racing is currently offered at Yonkers with six programs per week — Monday through Saturday nights — at 7:40 p.m. Harness and thoroughbred simulcasting is available seven days a week, while Empire City’s nearly 5,500 video gaming machines are in play daily from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 a.m.