Ohio champ scores in Metro elim

Clever Cody (The Panderosa), coming off his Ohio Sires Stakes championship, captured the second $40,000 Metro Pace elimination on Saturday (Sep. 16) in his first start against open stakes harness racing company.

The colt fired off the start with a burst of speed to take the lead to the quarter in :27.3. Driver Sylvain Filion allowed Remember The Alamo (Doug McNair) to go by on the backstretch but quickly turned it into a give-and-go and retook command before the half in :57.

Clever Cody edged away from Remember The Alamo as the field headed for the final turn, and only longshot Gem Quality (Dexter Dunn) provided pressure to three-quarters in 1:24. Gem Quality persisted into the stretch and made gains on Clever Cody, who was under urging from Filion at the eighth pole. The pair battled into deep-stretch, but Gem Quality relented, and Clever Cody stopped the clock in 1:50.4 in the victory.

Favourite Captains Quarters (Jody Jamieson) flew late and got up for second. Gem Quality held onto third over Remember The Alamo, who finished fourth. Calicojack Hanover (Louis-Philippe Roy) was fifth.

CLEVER CODY REPLAY

Clever Cody is six-for-nine in a rookie season that saw him win the Ohio Sires Stakes Final for two-year-old pacing colts. The elimination was a test for the colt; all of his previous starts came against Ohio-sired horses. Trained by Dr. Ian Moore for the Clever Cody Stable of Cambridge, he has earned $311,050.

Legendary Hanover (Huntsville) made it six unbeaten to begin his career as he captured the first elimination.

He floated out from post eight for James MacDonald and tucked into the four-hole as a succession of horses exchanged the lead before the quarter in :27.1. Legendary Hanover moved back out and rocketed to the front on the backstretch, completing his mission just past the midway point in :55.1.

MacDonald asked Legendary Hanover for more as Lous World (Todd McCarthy) appeared first-over at three-quarters in 1:23. The unbeaten colt dispatched the challenger in the stretch, and Legendary Hanover marched to victory in 1:51.

Captain Luke (Dexter Dunn) exploded from last and roared by all but one rival to take second. Lous World held third. Storm Shadow (Sylvain Filion) went from last to fourth, and Chain Gang (Scott Zeron) narrowly took fifth.

LEGENDARY HANOVER REPLAY

Legendary Hanover has started his career with six consecutive wins. In the last month, he has won the Dream Maker final, the Nassagaweya, and the Champlain Stakes. Tony Beaton trains the colt, now with $173,600 in earnings, for Eric Good of Davidsonville, West Wins Stable of Wellington, and Mark Dumain of Pine Bush.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink