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

Yonkers, NY — The statebred stage moves to Yonkers Raceway for the first time this season, with Friday night’s (June 22) $294,406 New York Sires Stake Art Watson Pace for 3-year-old fillies.

Five divisions — races 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 — adorn the 10-race card, with first post at 7:40 p.m. The four, eight-horse events go for $59,101, while the seven-horse soiree (fourth race) is worth $58,001.

Of the 39 ladies in to go, nearly half (19) claim Bettor’s Delight as their daddy.

Last season’s frosh division champ, Paula’s Best, drew post position seven in the fourth Watson division. Eric Goodell drives the Pro Bono Best princess for owner Larry Roman and trainer Ross Croghan.

“Paula” won last month’s $132,625 final of the Empire Breeders Classic at Tioga, her second win in as many seasonal starts. She has won six of her 10 career tries and more than $210,000.

For her local debut, she opposes the likes of Deadlysatisfaction (Jeff Gregory, post four) and Lislea Phia (Driver TBA, post three).

The former, a Bettor’s Delight miss trained by Paul Kelley for Maine connections, crossed the line first in a NYSS event at Buffalo earlier this month. Unfortunately, she did so on the gallop, which is sort of frowned upon.

The latter, a Lislea lass trained by Harry Harvey, gets to perform in front of her boss — Yonkers’ president Tim Rooney — after finishing third-placed-second in that same Buffalo event.

All four Round 1 (Buffalo) winners have made their way downstate, including:

• Symphony In Motion, a daughter of Bettor’s Delight who was unraced at 2. Gregory again drives for trainer Larry Remmen from post two in the first Watson division
• Winbak Delight, another Bettor’s Delight ma’am, has begun her sophomore season a perfect three-for-three. John Stark, Jr., who took a seat at Buffalo, retains the assignment for trainer Gary Messenger from the always-welcome eight hole in the first division
• Lilmisswiggles was placed first when Deadlysatisfaction picked a bad time to throw in bad steps. This Bettor’s Delight soph has already raced 10 times in ’07 — four wins and two seconds — for owner Aaron Waxman and trainer Duane Marfisi. Tim Tetrick drives from post three in the second NYSS grouping
• Ubetterthink Think is batting .500 (four-for-eight) in the win column this season. One more in the array of Bettor’s Delight offpsring, she has earned in excess of $43,000 this season for her Canadian ownership and trainer Scott McEneny. Jim Morrill, Jr., reprises his Buffalo role from post four in the evening’s final sires stake event.

The multi-million-dollar New York Sires Stake program traverses the state, culminated by the $1.2 million New York Night of Champions here on Saturday, Sept. 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.