The favourite, Sheer Brilliance, lived up to his top billing with a seamless 1:50.2 showing to capture Saturday night’s $10,000 Open Pace at Vernon Downs.

Leaving from the outside five post position in race two, Sheer Brilliance flashed by splits of :25.1, :53 and 1:21.4 while beating back all challenges, and cruised to a one and a quarter length triumph over JK Panache, last week’s winner in this top-flight class.

Saturday’s sizzler secured the third local victory, the eighth season’s score and 42nd lifetime triumph for the eight-year-old son of Blissfull Hall-High Roller Ash, who is owned by trainer Jeffrey Long and J. Paul Long. Aaron Byron did the teaming as the gritty gelding bumped his career winnings to $497,365.

Byron also finished first with the pacer Mister Hill in race seven to earn his first multiple win night at the 77-program meeting.

Former Canadian driving champ (Rideau Carleton) John MacDonald delivered three winners during the 13-race program, as did Chris Lems and Fern Paquet Jr., while trainer James Clouser Jr. harnessed a pair of first-place finishers.

The Downs will offer live racing Thursday-Saturday next week, with first post at 6:45 p.m. Next Friday (Oct. 18), the track will host the fifth and final preliminary leg of the Kindergarten Classic Series for two-year-old trotters. It will also present the event’s $400,000 championship final the following Friday, Oct. 25.

(Vernon Downs)