Columbus, OH — Clever Cody and Rose Run Zane have each won the first two legs of the Ohio Sires Stakes, On Saturday night (July 6), at Eldorado Scioto Downs, the two will meet for the first time this year in a $65,000 Sires Stakes event for sophomore colt pacers.

Clever Cody, the 5-2 favorite will have the advantage starting from the rail, while Rose Run Zane, the 3-1 second choice, drew post position six.

Clever Cody, with Aaron Merriman, has won two legs of the Ohio Sires Stakes. Conrad Photo.

Aaron Merriman will drive Clever Cody for trainer Dr. Ian Moore. Clever Cody has won two of six starts this year. Rose Run Zane will have Austin Hanners in the bike for Dan Venier. Rose Run Zane has hit the board in nine of 10 starts, winning six.

The two have met twice before. Last year, Clever Cody won both matchups, winning the second leg of Sires Stakes and then winning the $300,000 Ohio Sires Stakes Scarlet Championship.

In the first division for sophomore colt pacers, Dancin Moon, a two-time winner in the Buckeye Stallion Series, jumps to the Sires Stakes and is the early favorite. Aaron Merriman will drive Dancin Moon for Herman Hagerman. The son of Dancin Yankee has hit the board in nine of 10 starts with six wins and is the 3-1 favorite.

The $100,000 3-year-old colt and gelding trot should be a shootout as the winners of the first two legs will square off. Royal Precedent won the first leg at Miami Valley Raceway with Tennessee Tom, the Ohio 2-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year in 2023, winning the second leg at MGM Northfield Park. Ronnie Wrenn Jr. will drive Royal Precedent for Jodi Schillaci while Chris Page has Tennessee Tom’s lines for trainer Ron Burke.

Neither Royal Precedent nor Tennessee Tom is the morning line favorite. That honor belongs to Spaaaanzano. Spaaaanzano is 8-5. The Chris Beaver trainee finished second to Royal Precedent in the first leg and finished second to Tennessee Tom in the second leg. Tennessee Tom is the second choice at 9-5 with Royal Precedent 7-2.

The three Ohio Sires Stakes races are part of a 15-race card at Eldorado Scioto Downs. The total purse for the card is $1.2 million.

The card includes four $150,000 Next Generation races for 2-year-olds, the $100,000 Moni Maker for 3-year-old trotting fillies, and the $100,000 Nadia Lobell for 3-year-old filly pacers. First-race post time is 5:45 p.m.