Art Rooney Pace Remembers Steelers Founder and Family Patriarch

The Art Rooney Pace remembers the venerable Hall of Fame founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers annually at Yonkers Raceway, and this year’s 26th edition will gather the eight top three-year-olds in training on Saturday night, May 28, for a purse of $300,000.

Empire City Casino’s historic half-mile harness racing oval will salute “The Chief” with a pair of promotions paying homage to the Rooney Family patriarch. The first 2,000 Empire Club members (one per member while supplies last) to visit a promotions booth beginning at 4:00pm will receive a custom commemorative Art Rooney Key Chain, depicting Mr. Rooney smoking his omnipresent cigar.

And since the Steelers are 6-time Super Bowl champions, Yonkers Raceway will be offering a free way to play through its Empire City Bets ADW portal: the number — 6 — turns into $60 in free triple wagers for Empire City Bets members on the Art Rooney final, the premier stakes event for three-year-olds. Visit www.EmpireCityBets.com for accompanying rules, regulations, and complete details.

“The Chief” had a passion for both football and horseracing, so the tribute to the great sportsman each year is fitting and appropriate. The Rooney family purchased Yonkers Raceway in 1972, and Art’s son Timothy J. Rooney has been the famed harness track’s president and CEO since then. Tim Rooney, Jr., another product of Pittsburgh, is Art’s grandson and Empire City Casino’s General Counsel. Legend has it that Art parlayed $10 into $300,000 during a two-track winning streak in 1936 – starting at the old Empire City Trotting Club and ending in historic Saratoga – monies that financed the Steelers into a football powerhouse.

The $40,000 Art Rooney Pace elimination will be contested this Saturday night, May 21, at Yonkers, with a group of nine sophomore pacers vying for a berth in the finale. Here’s the field and drivers:

• 1) MISSILE J, Tim Tetrick
• 1A) ARTMAGIC, George Brennan
• 2) NO SHAME BLUE CHIP, Jason Bartlett
• 3) RODEO ROCK, Dan Dube
• 4) TAP INTO POWER, Jason Bartlett also listed
• 5) AUTOTUNE HANOVER, Tyler Buter
• 6) YANKEE ARTILLERY, George Brennan also listed
• 7) TAILGUNNER HANOVER, Ray Schnittker
• 8) MANNY, Brian Sears