Clearly Now seeking to join millionaire’s club with True North win

Clearly Now is eyeing a million in career earnings with victory in the True North (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography)

Clearly Now (Horse Greeley), a consistently solid sprinter over his 18-race
career, set a track record at Belmont Park while earning the Belmont Sprint
Championship (G3) trophy
during last year’s Stars and Stripes Festival on the Independence Day holiday
weekend. Now a five-year old, he’s back for more in the $250,000 True North S.
(G2) on
Friday.

“We’ve got Jose Lezcano, who rode him that day, back on him
so hopefully, we can reignite a track record performance,” trainer Brian
Lynch said by phone in Kentucky.

The Belmont Sprint was a seven-furlong affair while the
True North is a furlong shorter, but Lynch isn’t terribly concerned that his
dark bay charge might be better when going a little longer.

“I wish the race was seven (furlongs) but it is six so
we’ve just got to go with it,” he shrugged. “I think he’s effective at six, and he
got plenty out of his last race and we’ll be looking for a similar performance,
except I feel he’ll have an even better performance this time.”

Clearly Now missed by only a
neck last out to fellow True North entrant Stallwalkin’ Dude (City Place) after leading until late in
the Diablo S. over Big Sandy on May 10. He’s finished in the money in 14 of his
18 careers races, racking up $912,094 in lifetime earnings, but has yet to win
in two starts thus far this year.