Taking advantage of a pocket trip behind the pacesetting Purity, Lets Go Higher ($3.80) struck the front in upper-stretch, holding clear of a late bid from The Filly Princess to win Friday evening's (May 15) featured $10,000 Mares Open Pace at Vernon Downs.

Simon Allard settled into the pocket with the seven-year-old Cole Muffler mare, drafting behind 17-1 outsider Purity (Claude Huckabone Jr.) through sectionals of :26.4, :55.1, and 1:23.1. At the top of the stretch, Lets Go Higher vacated the pocket, pushing clear of a tiring Purity at the eighth pole and edging clear by one and three-quarter lengths in 1:50.2. The Filly Princess (Truman Gale) rallied late off a tracking trip to take second, while Table Talk (Bart Dalious) kicked cover to take third after racing from the back of the pack early.

Heidi Rohr trains Lets Go Higher for owner Jesse DeLong.

Saturday evening's 14-race pari-mutuel card features four divisions of the New York Sire Stakes for three-year-old pacing fillies, with Ron Burke trainee Sassa Hanover (2-1 morning line favourite, Andy McCarthy up) making her three-year-old debut in the evening's $30,450 fifth race. Post time is 6:45 p.m., with a non-wagering Excelsior event carded for 6:30 p.m.

(Vernon Downs)