Sheer Brilliance repulsed last week’s top pacing class winner, Daley Deposit Only, in the final stride to capture Saturday night’s $12,000 featured eighth event at Vernon Downs
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After having a three-race Vernon win skein snapped at Pocono Downs last Saturday, Sheer Brilliance ($3.30) returned to this week’s Miracle Mile-1 handicap and wired five fleet-footed rivals in 1:53.1. The five-year-old bay son of Blissful Hall-High Roller Ash cut fractions of :27.2, :57.2 and 1:26.1, and had enough left in the tank to hold off Daley Deposit Only by a nose.
It was the fourth win in five local starts; the eighth season’s score and the 23 lifetime win for the career winner of nearly $245,000. Trainer Jeffrey long shares ownership of the homebred gelding along with J. Paul Long.
Claude Huckabone, III completed a driving triple with the victory, increasing his all-time win total to 1,998.
Pacer Four One One, whose full-brother The Grey Bullet (Sealed N Delivered-Jammin Jenna) had captured Saturday’s seventh race, produced the evening’s fastest mile, a 1:52.1 showing in the $9,600 ninth event (MM-2). Top provisional driver Leon Bailey increased his win output to 28, and earned a double during the 10-race program, as did trainer Wayne Hughes and owner Robert Siemski.
Chris Lems also logged an owner, trainer and driving double during the track’s 84th program.
Brenda Jaffe’s four-year-old pacer Saranac Hanover, the meet’s winningest equine, hiked his victory output to 10 with Claude Huckabone, Jr. doing the teaming for trainer Brian Connor in Saturday’s second race
(Vernon Downs)