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

Three meticulously carved-out, seven-horse divisions -— at $53,000 each —- go as races 5, 6 and 7 during the dozen-race card. First post is the usual 7:10 p.m., with the evening’s sire stakes honouring the memory of the Raceway’s long-time corporate controller.

The opening event has one entrant -— Paprike Blue Chip (Corey Callahan, post 5) —- with a sire stakes win, a 1:55 effort at Saratoga. The Roll With Joe gelding, trained by John Butenschoen for co-owners Harmony Oaks & Crawford Racing and VIP Internet Stable, has been around the Westchester block before, finishing fourth in his elimination for last month’s Lawrence B. Sheppard Pace.

Friday’s second grouping finds out if anyone can take out the ‘Hitman’. Hitman Hill (Brett Miller, post 1) 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 by Tom Hill & North Fork Racing and trained by Chris Oakes, has won both of his career tries.

Persist Blue Chip (George Brennan, post 4) and Jersey Jim (Jim Devaux, post 7) also have sire stakes wins, at Monticello and Saratoga, respectively. Devaux is making his first local appearance since the NYSS season of 2012.

Springsteen (Chris Ryder, post 6), though winless in four tries, opened some eye sockets with a pair of rousing seconds in the elim and final of the Sheppard.

The final Meagher mélange includes Jimtastic (Jordan Stratton, post 1), going after a third sire stakes win. The one asterisk is a tiring (to fourth) effort in his latest try at Vernon. He lost that race to one of Friday’s rivals, Mr Profeta (Dan Dube, post 5), another Sheppard refugee.

Jimtastic, an Art Major colt, is trained by Andrew Harris for Ontario co-owners Brad Gray and Denise Guerrero. Mr Profeta is an Anatolia Farm-homebred son of Roll With Joe trained by Rolland Mallar.

Casual Cool (Jason Bartlett, post 2) tries for a fourth NYSS win. The $165,000 (Harrisburg) son of American Ideal, owned by Ken Jacobs and trained by Linda 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-division group, 20-large more than Hitman Hill.

(with files from Yonkers)