The race is being billed as "Man vs. Beast." Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson will take on the Ohio-bred thoroughbred Restore the Roar on Belmont Stakes Day at River Downs in Cincinnati.

"Oh yeah, I'll talk trash to (it). You know how they wear those blinders? I want them to take them off so he can see me," Johnson told the Bengals website.

Restore the Roar will run a furlong (220 yards) while Johnson will run about half that distance.

The race will be the track's feature race of the day and will be simulcasted to over 400 outlets across the country and in South America. It will take place on the rarely used turf track at River Downs.

Patti Cooksey is coming out of retirement to ride Restore the Roar. Cooksey is the second all-time leading female rider in North America with 2,137 career wins.

One victory not counted on that career total came in 1983 (or 1993 depending on source) when the horse she was riding beat former Bengals receiver Cris Collinsworth by a nose.

The race will raise money for the charity Feed the Children. The charity provides food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to children around the world. Also, Johnson is donating sports memorabilia for a silent auction as part of the fund-raiser. River Downs will make a donation to Feed the Children and Patricia Glenn, Restore the Roar's owner, will donate a portion of the horse's earnings this year to the Marvin Lewis Foundation.

Also, Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense backed out of the Belmont Stakes today, leaving Curlin (winner of the Preakness) as the favorite. Personally, as a racing fan I would like the favorites to back out of the Belmont.

Both should take a note from Chad Johnson and race head-to-head like they did in the olden days.

Johnson did say he wanted to face Street Sense, but the thoroughbred was supposed to be in New York.

The race will is scheduled to take place between 4-5 pm and should be available on TVG or HRTV. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if it is aired on ESPN's telecast on June 9th. ESPN has it's Belmont Stakes Special starting at 3 pm while ABC takes over at 5 pm.