by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — The awkward kid has grown up and is ready to go with the big boys.

Sunshine Beach, who showed flashes of potential last year but struggled with consistency, won the $50,000 Meadowlands Pace elimination on July 6 and is the 3-1 second choice on the morning line to capture Saturday’s $635,750 final.

Trained by Mark Steacy and driven by George Brennan, Sunshine Beach won the elim by a neck over Odds On Equuleus in 1:48. The top seven finishers from the 10-horse field advanced to the final, where they join three horses that received byes: Captaintreacherous, Twilight Bonfire and Wake Up Peter.

Captaintreacherous, unbeaten in five races this season and the defending Pacer of the Year, is the 6-5 favorite in the race for 3-year-old pacers. Captaintreacherous’ wins this season include the $980,000 North America Cup and $500,000 Hempt Memorial. He has won 13 of 15 lifetime races and earned $1.72 million.

Following Sunshine Beach and Odds On Equuleus into the final from the elim were Resistance Futile, Rockin Amadeus, Beach Memories, Johny Rock and Sir Cary’s Z Tam.

Lisa photo

Sunshine Beach won the Meadowlands Pace elimination in a time of 1:48.

Sunshine Beach has won four of six starts this year, including a division of the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes at Mohawk Racetrack in Ontario. Last season he won once in six starts for Canadian owners Hudson Standardbred Stable, Conrad Leber and Diane Bertrand.

“Last year he showed ability,” Steacy said. “The speed was always there, he had good lungs and everything, but he just couldn’t get his coordination. Kind of like a big kid, I guess. This year he’s kind of putting it all together. His gait has gotten a lot better, it’s safer, and they’re able to drive him a little more freely now.

“I think it was just a matter of growing up a lot, maturing, filling out a little bit.”

Sunshine Beach is a son of stallion Somebeachsomewhere out of the mare Light Up, whose previous 10 foals all earned money at the races. Sunshine Beach, who has banked $172,580 in his career, is the fifth to reach six figures. His half-sister Western Moonlight won the 2009 Sweetheart Pace and the maternal family also includes stakes-winners Take Flight, Bedeviled and Enroute.

“I liked the breeding and being a Somebeachsomewhere doesn’t hurt at all,” said Steacy about Sunshine Beach, who was purchased for $85,000 at the Standardbred Horse Sale. “The horse is so smart and he knows how to take care of himself. He’s been like that all along. He trained down a little on the lazy side, actually, and just always knew how to save himself.”

In the Meadowlands Pace elim, Sunshine Beach raced on the outside behind Beach Memories before getting the lead as the field reached the halfway point in a brisk :53. He then held off Odds On Equuleus’ first-over charge and earned his connections the right to select the horse’s post position for the final.

Sunshine Beach will start from post two.

“I was extremely happy, it was a great race,” Steacy said. “He was used hard and showed a lot of courage in the stretch to fight off Odds On Equuleus. I couldn’t be happier.

“(Selecting post two) was George’s idea and I went along with it. He’s not a real sprinter off the gate, so maybe we can float out of there a little better from the two hole. The last time I raced in this race I had the 10, so we’ll take the two over the 10 any day.”

Steacy saw Foreclosure N finish fourth from post 10 in the 2011 Meadowlands Pace won by Roll With Joe. He hopes Sunshine Beach is peaking at the right time for Saturday’s final.

“Every week he seems to be getting faster and faster,” said Steacy, who trained Canada’s 2006 Horse of the Year, Majestic Son, and received the 2007 O’Brien Award of Horsemanship. “(Saturday) he got to the front a little earlier than normal. I think the timing is going to be right. He’s going to be closer to the Meadowlands this week rather than having to truck him from Mohawk, so I think that should make him that much fresher.”

Following is the field for the Meadowlands Pace final with listed drivers and trainers: 1. Odds On Equuleus, John Campbell, Robin Schadt; 2. Sunshine Beach, George Brennan, Mark Steacy; 3. Resistance Futile, Jody Jamieson, Blair Burgess; 4. Twilight Bonfire, David Miller, Danny Collins; 5. Captaintreacherous, Tim Tetrick, Tony Alagna; 6. Sir Cary’s Z Tam, Patrick Lachance, Lachance; 7. Johny Rock, Andy Miller, John Butenschoen; 8. Beach Memories, Corey Callahan, Brian Brown; 9. Wake Up Peter, Ron Pierce, Alagna; 10. Rockin Amadeus, Pierce, Jimmy Takter.