by PHHA/Pocono

Wilkes-Barre, PA — This year’s initial action in the $750,000 Bobby Weiss Series for 3- and 4-year-old trotters and pacers will be the highlight of the racing the first week of April at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

The Weiss Series, named after Pocono’s retired longtime trackman, has a grouping for each of the sexes and gaits. Four preliminary rounds for $15,000 per division determines the top horses in the preliminaries, who will gather for their particular series’ championship, worth $30,000, during early May racing.

The Weiss Series kicks off on Sunday (April 2) with the first round for both pacing groups. The females are slotted in races five, 11, and 12 and the males face the starting gate in the sixth, eighth, and 10th contests.

A look at the ladies races would show that the 12th race may be the most competitive event, with the undefeated 3-year-old Chat Snap coming right back to the races five days after her third career victory. She will have to attempt to return on short rest from post six in the field of eight for driver David Miller and trainer Nifty Norman.

The busy barn of Ron Burke will send out two nice youngsters in the competition for males: Dash For Danger (race six, post six, driver Matt Kakaley), who won at Pocono in 1:52 last Sunday, and Art N Music (race 10 post two, also Kakaley), who comes eastward after sweeping the Walter Russell Series at The Meadows, going 1:52.4 in the final.

Tuesday’s ( April 4) card will be highlighted by the first Weiss preliminary leg for trotting distaffers, while their male counterparts enter Weiss action the following Tuesday.

Local trainer Neal Ehrhart is looking to overwhelm the opposition with numbers, sending out no fewer than seven entrants in this upcoming Tuesday’s three divisions. All of them, however, would have to be on top of their game to go with the likes of Whambamthankumaam (race 11, post two, trainer/driver Greg Wright Jr.), who ships in from Pittsburgh after five wins and a second in her last six starts; with her fastest mile in 1:56.3.

Pocono will be racing on Saturday (April 1) as well this week; Monday racing fills out the normal Pocono four-day-a-week schedule starting on April 10.