Pocono: Sears could have a huge Sun Stakes night

Driver Brian Sears heads into Saturday’s Sun Stakes program at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono with a pretty solid hand. Sears has the obvious heavy favorite Greenshoe in the $500,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial for sophomore trotters. He’ll also guide McWicked, the defending Ben Franklin champion, in this year’s edition. The 2018 Horse Of The Year finished third in his elimination but landed the coveted pole position for the $500,000 final.

“He had some issues and missed some time,” Sears said, noting a near month-long absence for the 8-year-old by McArdle trained by Casie Coleman. McWicked returned to the track he captured last year’s Breeders Crown at and finished third in his trial after taking the lead from Lather Up into the homestretch but failing to complete the job. Sears is hopeful the race will tighten McWicked some as he looks to regain winning form.

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“He can race on the front end for sure,” Sears said, “But at this stage of his career I pretty much let him tell me how he wants to go.” While that comment may have appeared tongue in cheek, Sears has mastered the art of understanding what he’s driving and adapting strategy to fit the horse.

McWicked drew inside elimination winners Western Fame (post 4) and Lather Up (post 7) in the field of nine. “I would think Rene’s (Allard) horse (Western Fame) will be looking to get out of there and I expect a few others to leave,” Sears said.

In last week’s elimination, McWicked was forced into a long coverless grind after Lather Up stole away to a very soft half. The driver clearly believes the Franklin final will set up differently. “Watch out if they let him go off at 4-1 or 5-1,” Sears said.

The Franklin is race 11 on the 14-race Sun Stakes program and Sears enters the $500,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial with a good deal of confidence in the top-ranked Greenshoe. The son of Father Patrick landed post two outside stablemate Green Manalishi S for trainer Marcus Melander.

“I’ve been getting more confident in him with each start,” said Sears of Greenshoe, who last season had a penchant for acting out behind the starting gate. “I told Marcus that we should try him out over this track to get him some experience and I think that’s helped him.”

Indeed Greenshoe came to Pocono on June 12 and got around the track perfectly in 1:52 with Sears in the sulky. Last week in one of the two Beal Jr. elimination heats, Sears was relaxed and allowed Osterc to cut the pace unchallenged in the early stages. “He likes to pass horses,” Sears said of Greenshoe, and that’s exactly what happened as the driver pulled into the second turn and allowed Greenshoe to march right past the leader on his way to a very comfortable 1:52 3/5 score.

“Yannick’s horse (Osterc) made a break over this track on the turn and he wasn’t pushing him,” Sears said, noting the ease with which Greenshoe went by the leader as a two-part story. Nevertheless, Greenshoe may just be in a race against seven others and perhaps the clock. With a 1:50 2/5 mark already taken at The Meadowlands this year, a sub-1:50 mile would seem to be within reach, if not this week certainly down the road.

Though stablemate Green Manalishi S has been a little slower to get started this season, the son of Muscle Hill made an encouraging debut with his 1:52 1/5 score. Trainer Melander was happy with the progress. “I don’t think that last break (in a qualifier May 25) was his fault,” Melander said of Green Manalishi S. “He was very good finishing second to Marion Marauder and I thought he was strong this past Saturday.” Green Manalishi S has finished first or second in all 11 career starts and seems perhaps the lone threat to Greenshoe in this contest with the pole position.

While the draw worked out favorably for half of Sears’ mounts in the four-stakes bonanza, the pills didn’t shake out well for Shake That House, a winner in one of three Max Hempt Memorial trials last Saturday. Shake That House drew post seven in the nine-horse collection and that could be a problem. Asked if Shake That House was versatile, Sears said, “Being versatile isn’t going to help him at this track.” Needless to say Shake That House exhibited speed and staying power with a handy 1:49 effort last week, though that clocking proved to be the slowest of the three prelims. Trained by Chris Oakes, Shake That House has won four of his five starts as a sophomore with his lone defeat coming ironically from post seven in the North America Cup trials on June 8 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The Hempt draw made it perhaps one of the tougher races to handicap on the card, with elimination winners Proof (post 2) and Captain Victorious (post 8) on opposite sides of the starting gate. The talented field also includes New Jersey Sire Stakes champion Hurrikane Emperor (post 4) returning after a second-place finish in his elimination for driver Dan Dube. Proof, a runner-up at Pocono in last year’s Breeders Crown behind Captain Crunch, showed an affinity for the track once again with his stunning 1:48 1/5 personal best while cruising to victory last week. Brian Brown trains Proof, a son of A Rocknroll Dance, the Hempt champion from post eight in 2012.

The draw was also unkind to Philly Hanover (post 8) in the $300,000 James Lynch Memorial final carded as race nine. “She raced very well for me in last year’s Sire Stakes final,” said Sears of the daughter of Captaintreacherous with four wins in six starts this year. “Hopefully there are a few in there that could push the pace.” Actually there are more than a few with trainer Tony Alagna sending out three Lynch finalists. Treacherous Reign, a 1:48 3/5 winner in the Fan Hanover a few weeks back, took the conservative road to the final racing coverless the last half for driver Dexter Dunn and allowing Warrawee Ubeaut a rated pace on her way to victory. Things are likely to be very different this week with Treacherous Reign landing post five. Alagna has two Lynch elimination winners outside with Odds On Lucie (post 6) and Tall Drink Hanover (post 9) completing the threesome. Odds On Lucie is undefeated in two starts this year including the 1:49 4/5 personal best last week. The Sweet Lou filly is out of a full sister to Captaintreacherous, the first-year stallion with four in the Lynch final.

Tall Drink Hanover rebounded from a seventh-place finish in the Fan Hanover with a pocket explosion last week and a 1:50 victory. Andy McCarthy will indeed have a tall order here from post nine with likely favorite Warrawee Ubeaut (post 1), multiple New York Sire Stakes winner Zero Tolerance (post 2) and the rugged Stonebridge Soul (post 4) all inside.

The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono’s Sun Stakes program starts at 7:00 p.m.