from the PHHA/Pocono
Wilkes-Barre, PA — The fields for the four rich championship races to be held during this weekend’s $2,169,500 Sun Stakes Saturday card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, have been updated with final driver assignments and morning line odds.
To see the entries for the complete card, click here.
And while the hoofbeats of the 3-year-old and older champions and the roar of the crowd from the previous night will still be faintly echoing, Pocono will host 10 divisions of the first stakes racing for the 2017 2-year-olds, with $30,000 on the line in each event of Pennsylvania All-Stars competition for the most promising of the state’s freshmen.
There will be four divisions of colt pacers, in races one, three, 12, and 14, and six divisions of colt trotters, in races two, four, five, eight, 11, and 13.
Post time on Sun Stakes Saturday is 6:30 p.m.; Sunday’s card begins one hour later.
- Ariana G, Mel Mara, Downbytheseaside wow at Pocono (Saturday, June 24, 2017)
Ariana G, Mel Mara, and Downbytheseaside were impressive in victories in the Sun Super Stakes eliminations Saturday (June 24) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono in a night with a healthy dose of favorites and a sprinkling of longshots as victors. Each of next week’s (July 1) championship events on the $2 million Sun Stakes Saturday card – the $500,000 Ben Franklin Free-For-All Pace, the $500,000 Earl Beal 3-Year-Old Trot, the $500,000 Max C. Hempt 3-Year-Old Colt Pace, and the $300,000 James Lynch 3-Year-Old Filly Pace – had enough entrants to necessitate three elimination divisions on this Saturday’s (June 24) card, with the top three finishers returning in seven days for their respective championship event.
- Posts drawn for Sun Stakes (Monday, June 26, 2017)
The post positions have been drawn for the Sun Stakes finals at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. The Saturday (July 1) championship events on the $2 million Sun Stakes card are the $500,000 Ben Franklin Free-For-All Pace, the $500,000 Earl Beal 3-year-old trot, the $500,000 Max C. Hempt 3-year-old colt pace, and the $300,000 James Lynch 3-year-old filly pace.
- ‘King Kong’ hopes to topple Franklin foes (Tuesday, June 27, 2017)
He might not be the same beast he was in the past, but Mach It So still has a little King Kong in him. Mach It So, a 7-year-old gelding with 36 career wins and $1.81 million in earnings, faces eight foes in Saturday’s $500,000 Ben Franklin Stakes for older male pacers at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Trained by Jeff Bamond Jr. for owner Bamond Racing, Mach It So starts from post five with driver Tim Tetrick and is 12-1 on the morning line.
- Sun Stakes finals top Grand Circuit schedule (Wednesday, June 28, 2017)
The Grand Circuit spotlight will once again be on The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono this Saturday night (July 1) as the track will host four lucrative stakes finals in the $500,000 Ben Franklin for older pacers, the $500,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial for 3-year-old trotters, the $500,000 Max C. Hempt Memorial for 3-year-old male pacers and the $300,000 James M. Lynch Memorial for 3-year-old filly pacers.
- Ariana G aims to be Beal’s first female champ (Wednesday, June 28, 2017)
Ariana G starts Saturday’s $500,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial for 3-year-old trotters from an unfavorable spot, but trainer Jimmy Takter is confident the filly can step up and defeat eight male rivals in one of the season’s few remaining preps for August’s Hambletonian Stakes.
- Brazuca wakes up for Cancelliere (Thursday, June 29, 2017)
Brazuca is a quiet filly around the stable, but she is capable of making noise on the racetrack. Unbeaten in three races this year, Brazuca heads to Saturday’s $300,000 James M. Lynch Memorial for 3-year-old female pacers at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono off a 1:52.3 win in her elimination last weekend. She starts the final from post No. 5 with Corey Callahan driving for trainer Tom Cancelliere and is 5-1 on the morning line.
- Hempt elimination victory not shocking to owners of Santafe’s Coach (Friday, June 30, 2017)
When Santafe’s Coach strode into the winner’s circle at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday (June 24) after his triumph at odds of 21-1 in his $25,000 Max C. Hempt Memorial elimination, quite the contingent was there to greet him. Although the public did not appreciate the 3-year-old colt’s chances to have his picture taken, his connections were not surprised they were exactly in that very position and hope to repeat that experience on Saturday (July 1) after the $500,000 final.