Scorpion Moon captured the $13,200 featured trot, while PW Ivory Grin grabbed top honours in the weekend’s top female pace on Friday night at Vernon Downs

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With Jack Rice sitting in for trainer Tracy Brainard, Scorpion Moon wired six rivals in 1:56.3 to take home first place honours in Friday’s eighth event, the week’s Miracle Mile-1 contest for disciples of the diagonal gait. While chalking up his second local score, the nine-year-old son of Armbro Scorpion-Angie’s Nugget also recorded his 15th season’s victory and 75th all-time. Brainard, the meet’s top race-winning trainer with 65 first-place finishes, owns the career winner of more than $844,000 along with Andrew Herzog.

PW Ivory Grin’s come-from-behind tally came in the $10,800 co-feature 10th event. Claude Huckabone, Jr. did the catch-driving for part-owner and trainer Arnie Marks as the four-year-old daughter of Grinfromeartoear-Ivory Tower rallied from fourth in the early going and closed from second in the homestretch to post a 1:56.3 victory, her fourth of the meet and sixth all-time. William Williams, Jr. also owns the lifetime winner of $65,520.

(Vernon Downs)