From Northfield Park Racino
A familiar face returned to the Ohio spotlight in a big way Saturday night (Aug. 15) at Northfield Park Racino, as Clever Cody dominated the $100,000 Myron Charna President’s Pace for Ohio-sired veteran pacers.
A horse that struck fear into the hearts of Ohio horsemen not long ago, Clever Cody was a force throughout the Ohio Sires Stakes, capturing back-to-back championships and establishing himself as one of the division’s toughest competitors. Now owned and trained by Francois Lecomte and driven by Luke Ebersole, the veteran pacer was aggressively handled off the wings and with an impressive burst of speed coming off the first turn and immediately took control of the race, carving out fractions of :26.0, :54.1, and 1:22.3.
Clever Cody turned for home with the field in pursuit and powered through the stretch to stop the clock in 1:50.1, matching his lifetime best. Chasing him home was a familiar name in the Myron Charna Presidents Pace, as 2022 winner Charlie May and Dan Noble came charging after the leader to finish second. Rose Run Zane and Justin Irvine rounded out the trifecta.
Ebersole said after the race, “When you have the rail at Northfield, you just got to go.”
For Lecomte and Ebersole, the victory was a statement from a horse whose dominance once made him one of the most feared faces in Ohio racing. Clever Cody may have changed hands and found a new home in Lecomte’s stable, but his performance in the $100,000 Charna showed that the former Ohio Sires Stakes champion still has plenty of fight left and remains a force to be reckoned with not just in Ohio.