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

Yonkers, NY — Yonkers Raceway returns from hiatus Friday night (June 14), with the statebreds making their downstate seasonal debut.

The $351,656 New York Sire Stakes Hugh Grant Pace brings together the Empire’s glamour division, with 3-year-old colts and geldings having their first rendezvous. A barbershop quartet of events, going as races two, four, six and seven, comprise the event.

Doctor Butch, last seen in these environs winning the $275,000 final of the Art Rooney Pace (with George Brennan driving) earlier this month, drew post position No. 3 in the final $88,314 event. Jim Morrill, Jr. takes a first-time seat behind the son of Art Major for owner Ken Jacobs and trainer Linda Toscano.

Doctor Butch, who wired the Rooney as a $30,000 supplemental entrant in a pari-mutuel best 1:51.2, has never missed the board in 14 career starts (nine wins, four seconds, one third), with earnings of $486,711.

Among his rivals Friday is Sir Cary’s Z Tam (Pat Lachance, post two). The son of Bettor’s Delight, co-owned and trained by his driver, won his elim for the Rooney (1:54.1) before closing for third in the final.

The first $86,714 Grant get-together includes Framed Art (Mark MacDonald, post six), a solid sire stakes performer a season ago. The Artiscape colt, co-owned and trained by Andrew Stafford, was third (to Doctor Butch) in the ’12 final of the NYSS here, completing a $150,000-plus season.

Friday night’s second $88,314 statebred event has Rooney finalist Bet The Moon (Brennan, post three) and, in the spirit of an Original Six Stanley Cup final, Olde Time Hockey (Brian Sears, post four).

The former, a son of Bettor’s Delight trained by Ron Burke for owner Edwin Gold, made more than $182,000 as a 2-year-old. The latter, an Art Major gelding owned by David Van Wart and trained by Tom Fanning, was unraced as a frosh. However, he’s done a bang-up job playing catch-up, as evidenced by a life-best 1:50.3 effort at the Meadowlands.

The third $88,314 division finds Hail The Taxi (John Campbell, post four) returning to the scene of his greatest triumph. The son of Art Major, trained by Jim Campbell for Fashion Farms, closed for a 35-1 upset in the $119,000 final of the Lawrence B. Sheppard Pace (stakes-record 1:54.1) last summer. He then added a sire stakes win here during a $215,836 frosh season.

After programs Friday and Saturday, the Raceway’s five-night-per-week schedule resumes next week, with first post every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:10 p.m. Evening simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon simulcasting available around the NYRA schedule.