Wilkes-Barre, PA — The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono is preparing for the earliest ever opening in its 55th season, with qualifying races scheduled for Monday (Feb. 3) and Tuesday (Feb. 4) ahead of the first card of this year taking place this coming Saturday (Feb. 8).

Trainer/driver Ray Schnittker has several interesting prospects in Monday’s qualifiers, which start at 10 a.m., including Wild Bill, a full brother to Dan Patch Award winner Huntsville, the trotter Alternative Fact, a 1:53.3 winner as a sophomore in a Simpson Stake division at Harrah’s Philadelphia and the well-pedigreed Nightcap, a $125,000 yearling who makes her career debut at three.

Others to keep an eye on will be the million dollar-winning Zooming, the hard-hitting Nine Ways, a 14-time winner in high-class company in 2019, and a pair of Down Under invaders, Jossie James A and Raptors Flight N, who make their North American debuts for trainer Richard Banca.

Pocono’s all-time leading driver George Napolitano Jr. is listed in many of the qualifiers as he lays the foundation towards taking a ninth consecutive Pocono driving title. Napolitano has 6,522 victories in the last 10 years.

Besides hosting qualifiers, Tuesday will also bring the first draw of the year. The opening card will feature two events for the Game Of Claims Series for pacers.

In February, Pocono will race on Saturday and Sunday at 5 p.m., with Mondays being added in March and post times shifting to the standard 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Monday cards will start at 4 p.m., and they will be joined at that start time in April with Tuesday racing as Pocono expands to its full standard schedule.

An introductory press briefing will take place this Thursday to preview the highlights of the 2020 racing season.