Wilkes-Barre, PA — The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono management is pleased to announce the track’s 2020 racing season schedule. The track in Northeast Pennsylvania is looking forward to its 55th year of harness racing excellence.

Opening night will be earlier for the new season, Saturday (Feb. 8), and racing in February will be Saturdays and Sundays with a special winter post time of 5 p.m. both nights. In March, Mondays at 4 p.m. will be added, and the track will transition to the regular Saturday and Sunday post of 7 p.m. Starting in April, the regular schedule of Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday will be in effect.

On opening night, there will be free live racing programs for the fans at the Racing Rewards desk. On Sunday (Feb. 9), as well as the next two Sundays, fans can take advantage of the popular promotion “50/50 Nights.” The first 100 fans can purchase $50 in live racing vouchers, and it is matched for a total of $100 in vouchers, valid on the live card. This is a wristband-only event, and they will be distributed at 3 p.m. in the Clubhouse Lobby to assure the fans of the offer.

Starting off the new season will be a new later closer, the Game of Claims Late Closing Series, with six different progressive events for varied claiming levels for 3-year-olds and older horse and gelding pacers, mare pacers, and trotters. The Bobby Weiss Late Closer series returns in April with four events, exclusively for 3-year-olds.

The Pennsylvania All-Stars, an early closer for Pennsylvania-sired 3-year-olds, starts in May, with the 2-year-olds in July.

The prestigious $2 million Sun Stakes Saturday is July 4, featuring the $500,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial Trot, $500,000 Ben Franklin Free For All Pace, $500,000 Max Hempt Memorial Pace and the $300,000 James Lynch Memorial Pace. Eliminations will take place on Saturday (June 27).

Monday (Feb. 3) and Tuesday (Feb. 4) are the first two qualifying days of the season, with the regular weekly Wednesday qualifying day starting Feb. 12.