by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

The U.S. Trotting Association’s 18th annual Driving School is May 31-June 3 at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, home of the Little Brown Jug, in central Ohio. As this year’s school approaches, the USTA will periodically profile “graduates” of the program. For more information about the school, click here. Registration ends next week.

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Cody Coy has always been special to Carl Easterday Jr. and his wife Chris.

Purchased for $2,500 at the 2010 Ohio Selected Jug Sale, the now 8-year-old trotter has won 30 races and earned $188,028 in his career. He was one of the top 2-year-olds on the Ohio circuit, but took a bad step in the days leading up to the Ohio Sire Stakes championship and was sidelined with a cracked pastern. He got to compete in the Sire Stakes final at 3, where he was second by a neck to Rock N Jessie.

Just last year, Cody Coy gave Easterday his first win as a trainer. Easterday had attended the U.S. Trotting Association’s Driving School in June and three months later was in the winner’s circle with the gelding at Northfield Park. The driver was Aaron Merriman, who is a regular speaker at the Driving School.

“It was pretty exciting,” said the 42-year-old Easterday, who lives 65 miles north of Columbus, in Bucyrus. “It was a long time coming. I worked a lot of other jobs over the years, but I tried to help out with the horses as much as I could. I learned for 10 years, off and on. I wanted to learn as much as I could.

“I’ve been (Cody Coy’s) groom for every start he’s ever had. So it wasn’t like it was all new to me. But it was enjoyable to finally be the man behind the horse.”

Enjoyable, too, is his new career. Easterday has six horses, with three in training at the moment. The remaining three are a yearling, suckling and broodmare.

“I’ve done a little bit of everything,” Easterday said. “I was looking for something that I loved. I found it. I haven’t had a day of work since I started.”

This year’s Driving School begins Wednesday (May 31), with a welcoming reception/dinner featuring Bob Boni, co-owner of 2016 Horse of the Year Always B Miki. Other speakers during the school include trainer Brian Brown, Merriman, and amateur drivers Joe Faraldo and Steve Oldford.

Participants work alongside grooms and trainers stabled at the fairgrounds Thursday-Saturday mornings. Each afternoon, topics such as horse ownership, veterinary care, driving strategy, training and conditioning and stable management will be covered by guest speakers.

There will also be trips to Sugar Valley Farms and Scioto Downs, lessons from a veterinarian and nutrition expert, as well as the administration of the driver exam for students who choose to take it.

Easterday’s father was a Standardbred groom and his wife’s father, Don Schnarrenberger, was an owner. Easterday was 6 when he visited the winner’s circle for the first time with a horse in his father’s care.

“That’s probably what hooked me at that point,” Easterday said.

In addition to training, Easterday raced three times as a driver last year, including twice in the Billings Amateur Series. He plans to drive Cody Coy in this year’s Signature Series.

Easterday and his wife had no idea Cody Coy would become this type of horse, but they were hoping.

“Every year we would buy a yearling,” Easterday said. “We’d buy just one. We’d make it most of the time to the races, but they were fair horses. You’re always hoping for that next step up. He was a couple steps for us.”

Cody Coy, a son of Full Count out of Cindy Coy, shows no signs of slowing down. The gelding set his mark of 1:55.2 last year at Miami Valley. He is ready to make his third start of this season Tuesday night (May 16) at Northfield Park.

“Hopefully if things go well we’ll go past the $200,000 mark this year,” Easterday said. “He’s been quite the teacher for me. We really appreciate that old horse. He’s always got a place with us. But he’ll tell me when he’s done. As long as he’s willing and sound and capable, he’ll keep going. There’s nothing more in this world that he loves than being out there at the track.”