by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

East Rutherford, NJ — McWicked grabbed the lead midway through the race and held off the fast-closing group of Somesizesomestyle, JK Endofanera and Doo Wop Hanover to win Saturday’s scratch-depleted $531,250 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male pacers in 1:49 at the Meadowlands.

The complexion of the race changed prior to the start when elimination winners Always B Miki and Limelight Beach both were sidelined. Always B Miki, the winner of five consecutive starts, was scratched lame moments prior to the race; Limelight Beach had been scratched sick earlier in the day.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

McWicked held off a fast-closing Somesizesomestyle to capture the Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male pacers in 1:49.

Luck Be Withyou, who won the 2013 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old male pacers, left quickly from post nine and took the lead in a :26 opening quarter-mile. Favorite JK Endofanera took the lead on the backstretch, but was on top only briefly before yielding to McWicked and driver Brian Sears in a :54.1 half.

McWicked remained in the lead as the field reached three-quarters in 1:21.3, but had to work in the stretch to hold off Somesizesomestyle by a half-length.

“The first scratch that we heard this morning (Limelight Beach) was going to change the race big time with Limelight not in there and obviously Miki (Always B Miki), the dead favorite, it really changed the race complex a lot,” said McWicked‘s trainer Casie Coleman. “I didn’t expect Wicked was going to be up front.”

Sent off at odds of 9-5, McWicked (McArdle-Western Sahara) has won 10 of 21 races this season and $1.30 million for trainer Casie Coleman and owner Ed James’ S S G Stables.

It was Brian Sears’ second win in this year’s Breeders Crown and the 26th of his career. Coleman has won four trophies.

“He started the year awesome and he wasn’t so good in the (Little Brown) Jug and we had a couple not so good, subpar starts, but he really bounced back last week and this week he was awesome,” Coleman said.

“That was his last stake and I had told Ed a couple weeks ago, 110 percent he was done for the season. After he raced last week I said we might supplement the Progress Pace (eliminations on Nov. 30 at Dover Downs), so we’ll see how he comes out of the race, but I think we might supplement to the Progress.”

Trainer Joe Holloway had this update on Always B Miki after the race.

“I don’t know (what happened),” said Holloway. “He was feeling good. He always acts up. I don’t know whether he kicked the wall (in his stall). These are cement walls. I had two guys sitting with him, or maybe it was back in the retention barn. It doesn’t matter where.

“He only warmed slightly. He was just a little bit off. I just jogged him to warm up. I just thought maybe his back was a little bit kinked up. He went out when David (Miller) scored him down and just let loose. So, my guess is he probably broke a sesamoid bone by the way he acts, but I don’t know. He broke something. Where, I don’t know.”