Wilkes-Barre, PA — Horsemen are reminded to review the early and late closers that will highlight the 2020 racing season of The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. The famed northeastern Pennsylvania oval will begin the expanded 139-day race meet on Saturday, February 8.

Starting off the early season in early February will be a new late closer – The Game of Claims Late Closing Series with 6 different progressive events for varied claiming levels. It will be for 3-year-olds & older horses & gelding pacers, mare pacers and trotters. There will be three legs with the 2^nd and 3^rd legs having a progressive base price from the first leg. Events 1-5 will be for pacers. Event 1 will start with a $25,000 base price followed by $27,500 in the second leg and $30,000 in the third leg. Purses for the legs will be $25,000. The Final will be $50,000 and there will be no claiming in this or any Finals. Event 2 will have base claiming levels of $15,000-17,500-20,000 in its three legs. Purses will be $15,000 for the legs followed by a $30,000 Final. Event 3 will be for claiming levels of $7,500-9,000-11,000. Each leg will be going for $7,500 with a $15,000 Final. Event 4 has claiming levels of $10,000-12,500-15,000. Legs will go for $10,000 and the Final goes for $20,000. Mare pacers will also start out at a $10,000 claiming level in Event 5 progressing to the $15,000 price tag. Trotters will start out with a $15,000 level as well. Trainers and owners will be limited to 2 entries in the preliminary legs and finals. There will be different nominating fees for the events. Nominations for these events are earlier than normal because of the early start date of the 2020 racing season. Nominations are due January 15.

The Bobby Weiss Late Closer conditions have been modified to be for 3-year-olds exclusively. It will return this season in April with 4 events for non-winners of 2 Extended Pari-Mutuel races or $30,000 lifetime as of & including February 1, 2020. The separate events will be for male pacers, female pacers, male trotters and female trotters. Each Weiss will consist of three legs with an increased purse of $20,000. The purse for the finals has been increased as well to $50,000. If entries warrant, there will be consolations for each event. There will be a $100 nominating fee. Nominations must be postmarked by midnight on February 15.

In the late closers each horse that actually starts will receive 25 points along with any points they get from their official finish in each leg.

The Pennsylvania All Stars, an early closer for Pennsylvania Sired 3-year-olds, will make their first appearance of the season in May and June. The 2-year-olds will be in July. 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.

Sun Stakes Saturday will, once again, usher in the summer portion of the racing season. 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. If entries for the eliminations warrant, there will be a $75,000 consolation for the Beal, Hempt and Franklin and a $50,000 consolation for the Lynch. Nominations close February 15.

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