Man vs. horse in benefit race at River Downs

Cincinnati Bengals all-pro wide receiver Chad Johnson will race a horse at River Downs on Belmont Stakes Day, June 9, as a fund-raiser for Feed the Children, an Oklahoma City-based charity that provides food, medicine, clothing, and other necessities to children around the world. The race, billed as "man vs. beast," will be held on the turf course, with Johnson starting at the sixteenth pole and the horse, Restore the Roar, starting at the eighth pole.

Patti Cooksey, the second all-time leading female rider in North America with 2,137 career wins, will come out of retirement to ride Restore the Roar, an Ohio-bred maiden. Restore the Roar is named after a local Bengals television program.

As part of the fund-raiser, Johnson has donated sports memorabilia that will be sold at silent auction; River Downs will make a donation to Feed the Children; and Restore the Roar's owner, Patricia Glenn, will donate a portion of the horse's earnings this year to the Marvin Lewis Foundation, a fund run by the Bengals' head coach that aids youth organizations and nonprofit groups in the Cincinnati area.

More information is available from Ed Meyer at 513-354-8234.