Eastend Eddie and Sheer Brilliance continued their month long battle for supremacy in the $16,000 Open Pace at Tioga Downs on Sunday afternoon with Eastend Eddie ending up back in the winner's circle.
Leaving from post position one after the rail horse (Windsong Harley) was scratched out of the six-horse field, Jim Marohn Jr. settled Eastend Eddie in second as Sheer Brilliance (Aaron Byron) put up a :27.3 opening quarter.
Byron then controlled the field through fractions of: 57 and 1:24.3 as Corey Braden moved Fireyourguns first over from fifth.
As the field went by three-quarters, Marohn Jr. pulled the pocket with Eastend Eddie and launched by Sheer Brilliance to open up on the field and win by four and a half in 1:51, with a :26 closing panel.
Ron Burke trains the five-year-old son of Million Dollar Cam and Armbro Cinema for Burke Racing and Weaver Bruscemi of Pennsylvania. The win was the fifth in 20 seasonal starts for Eastend Eddie, who has now captured three of his last four Open starts at Tioga good for seasonal earnings of more than $53,000.
A sub-1:50 winner last week, Sheer Brilliance hung on for second this time out while Fireyourguns finished third.
Byron posted a driving triple on the afternoon’s 10-race card while Marohn Jr., Brandon Simpson, and Greg Merton each recorded doubles.
(With files from Tioga Downs)