"Huntsville on the inside, Downbytheseaside, Huntsville, Huntsville! Huntsville holds off Downbytheseaside."
For horse breeders, 4 year-old Huntsville is the sure bet.
"He was extremely successful on the track he was the 2-year-old colt of the year, he was the fastest 3-year-old fo his 3-year-old season, he won the Meadowlands Pace this summer at the meadowlands, and he's been a terrific race horse," said Cameo Hills Farm Owner Steve Jones.
The owner at Cameo Hills Farm said Huntsville is already booked for the year at the maximum amount of mares he can breed with. Those horses will go on to race at tracks like in Goshen or Saratoga. Cameo Hills Farm is in commercial breeding with dozens of pregnant horses as well, and the farm is about to hit a busy season.
"Breeding and foaling overlap," said Jones. "The breeding season starts middle of February, and ends around the 4th of July. Gestation for a horse is just over 11 months, we're breeding them back shortly after they foal."
According to the Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund, the amount of young horses, or yearlings, being sold in state has jumped up more than 175 percent from 2001 to 2016.
"There is 16 million or so in the Sire Stakes program each year, and many, many, many times that over are spent in raising and caring for, and training the horses to either be sold at auction or to go out there and race and earn the purses either way," said NYS Breeding Development Fund Trustee Michael Kimelman.
That effort put into breeding standardbreds has also created jobs. In a 12 year span, jobs related to the industry have skyrocketed from 2,000+ to more than 6,000. The organization also says as of 2013, breeding standardbreds has brought a total economic impact of about $794 million.
"Whether they have to take care of the barns or take care of the horses, or build the fences, or veterinarian care, or feed jobs, or haying jobs, horseshoeing jobs, horse transportation jobs, there's just jobs on jobs," said Kimelman.
Some in the horse breeding industry said they're optimistic the trend will continue going up.