Yonkers Raceway plays host to its first New York Sire Stakes event of the season Monday night, the Hugh Grant Pace for three-year-old colts and geldings
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Five divisions -- Race 4 though 7 and Race 11 -- will highlight the 12-race program, with usual first post at 7:10 p.m.
Monday night's first sire stakes encounter will be the seasonal pari-mutuel debut of 2011's statebred champ, Heston Blue Chip (Tim Tetrick, Post 4). The American Ideal colt won 11 of 13 races as a freshman and ended his season with a win in his $177,275 division of the Matron Stakes. Linda Toscano trains.
The second division includes Forever Just (Tim Tetrick, Post 1), who was a down-the-road NYSS winner at Buffalo Raceway earlier this month. The son of Bettors Delight, also trained by Toscano, has won half of his 16 career starts.
Domethatagain (Post 6) has attracted Dan Noble for his local driving debut after a second-place finish in a sire stakes event at Buffalo.
The third division will feature the formful Breakin The Law (David Miller, Post 1), who has won his last five races at the Meadowlands Racetrack, including a life's best 1:50.3 in the $59,200 final of the Survivor Series. The Artiscape gelding is co-owned by trainer Ron Burke.
The penultimate sire stakes division is led by Escape the News (David Miller, Post 3). The homebred Artiscape gelding took a mark of 1:50.3 at the Red Mile last fall.
The evening's final event will include Steelhead Hanover (Jim Morrill Jr., Post 2), a recent blowout NYSS winner at Buffalo.
(With files from Yonkers)