from Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Race Office

Wilkes-Barre, PA — Horsemen are reminded that nominations should be postmarked by February 15 for the many varied Early and Late Closers that will highlight the 50th racing season at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. The famed northeastern Pennsylvania oval will begin the 138-day race meet on Saturday (March 21).

The Bobby Weiss Late Closer for 3- and 4-year-old horses will start the season off with four events for non-winners of three extended pari-mutuel races or $40,000 lifetime as of and including Jan. 1, 2015. The separate events will be for male pacers, female pacers, male trotters and female trotters. Each Weiss will consist of four legs and a $30,000 final. The nominating fee will be $300.

Sun Stakes Saturday has been moved a week later this year to avoid conflicting with stakes in Canada. The finals for the $500,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial 3-year-old open trot, $500,000 Max C. Hempt Memorial 3-year-old open pace, $300,000 James M. Lynch Memorial 3-year-old filly pace and $500,000 Ben Franklin FFA Pace will be on Saturday (July 4). The eliminations for these races will be one week earlier on June 27.

As previously announced, both the Hempt and Lynch have been changed from a stakes event to an Early Closer. There is a $500 nominating fee for the Hempt and a $350 nominating fee for the Lynch. Payments that were made to the stakes version of these races have been refunded by the Hambletonian Society. If entries for the eliminations warrant, there will be a $75,000 consolation for the Beal, Hempt and Franklin and $50,000 for the Lynch.

There will be a change in the scheduling of the Pennsylvania All Stars, an early closer for Pennsylvania sired 2- and 3-year-olds.

The events for the 3-year-olds will be held in May. The 3-year-old male trotters will go on Saturday (May 2) during the early afternoon card, which is part of a doubleheader on Kentucky Derby Day. The following day, May 3, the 3-year-old filly trotters go to post. The following weekend the 3-year-old male pacers will be on Saturday (May 9) and 3-year-old female pacers on May 10.

Nominations for the 3-year-old events of the Pennsylvania All Stars are due on February 15. Nominations for the 2-year-old events are not due until March 15.

Making a return to MSPD in 2015 will be Super Stakes Saturday, which features the $500,000 Battle of the Brandywine 3-year-old open pace, $500,000 Colonial 3-year-old open trot and $350,000 Valley Forge 3-year-old filly pace. Both the Battle and Colonial will offer $200,000 and $100,000 consolations, while the Valley Forge will have a $150,000 and $75,000 consolation.

The unique racing conditions allow eligible horses to fit into their proper event based on their 2015 seasonal earnings up to the draw day.

Complete racing conditions and payment information for all these racing events can be found on the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Horsemen page.