By winning Saturday’s featured event in wire-to-wire fashion, Vertigo Hanover has yet to see the back end of a pacer in his trio of victories during the early stages of the Colonial Downs fall harness meet.

The eight-year-old The Panderosa gelding has led every step of the way in each of the three, but a step up in class Saturday made the effort much more interesting than the prior pair.

Vertigo Hanover earned 5-1/2 and 3-3/4 length wins last week in a C-2 conditioned pace but the move to a C-1 Handicap Saturday resulted in a photo at the wire with fast-closing Mobil Big John. A head separated the winner and runner-up. After early fractions of :28.1, :57 and 1:24.3, driver Chuck Perry encountered Corey Braden’s Mobil Big John in mid-stretch and the duo battled in the final one-eighth.

After his C-2 triumphs in 1:52 and 1:52 respectively, Vertigo Hanover crossed in 1:52.2 Saturday and gave trainer/owner Henry Lewis his fifth win in eight starts this year with the consistent pacer.

Colonial Downs presents an 11-race card on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. An $18 Family ‘n Friends four-pack coupon for Sunday’s races is at colonialdowns.com.

(Colonial Downs)