Jul 21, 2015 | 50th anniversary of racing, Racing
On July 15, 1965, the $7 million Pocono Downs opened its doors in Northeast Pennsylvania. Thousands of fans were on hand as Satin Queen was the first to cross the Finish Line on that sultry summer night.
50 years later, 42 tracks have come and gone, but Pocono Downs, now renamed the Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, continues to host World-record racing from March to November each year. From August 15-22, the track will honor the past and look ahead to the future with a week of events for the fans to celebrate and honor the rich history and tremendous racing.
A week-long celebration kicks off on Saturday, August 15 with the World-renowned Budweiser Clydesdales making an appearance, and fans may have their photo taken from 6:00pm to 7:30pm on the track apron. A wristband is necessary, and will be distributed at 4:00pm on the Sky Bridge The photo is $5, and all proceeds will be donated to Marley’s Mission, a charity that provides equine-based therapy free of charge to children and their families who have experienced trauma. The Budweiser Clydesdales hitch will promenade on the track during live racing Saturday night, as well as the night before.
On Tuesday, August 18 and Wednesday, August 19, fans can enjoy live racing and Pocono is “rolling back the prices” to 1965 on soft drinks, hot dogs, popcorn, and soft drinks.
The weekend will be full of exciting events, with a special Post Time of 5:30pm on both Friday and Saturday nights. On Friday, August 21, the night will kick off with a special “Legends Race”, featuring drivers from the past 50 years competing in a thrilling race; Immediately following the races, fans can enjoy a special “Tribute to Motown” free concert featuring The Fellas and Encorz, two tremendous groups who will be performing on the track apron.
Saturday, August 22 starts off with an exciting guest dropping by to celebrate the anniversary! Former Major League Baseball player and manager Pete Rose will be on hand for autographs and photos from 4:00pm to 6:00pm in the Racing lobby. This is a wristband-only event, and wristbands will be distributed starting at 1:00pm. Authorized photos only will be signed, and they are available at the special signing.
Then the action shifts back to the track with a special Post Time of 5:30pm for the return of the $2.3 million Super Stakes Saturday, with the 3 Year-Old Colonial Trot; the 3 Year-Old Valley Forge Filly Pace; and the 3 Year Old Battle of the Brandywine Open Pace, plus two consolations of each. Amid the tremendous racing on that night will be the 50th Anniversary Souvenir Beer Mug giveaway, which will take place from 9:00pm to 10:30pm with the coupon from the live racing racing program. The special commemorative program will be on sale starting at 5:00pm in the Racing lobby.
Immediately following the stellar Super Stakes Saturday card will be a spectacular fireworks display to cap the tremendous week of events. The approximate start time is 10:30pm.
Fans are reminded that the souvenir book “The Golden Era of Pocono Downs” will be available through the remainder of the season, and can be purchased at the Program stand. This commemorative book takes a look back at 50 years of racing, events, and statistics, and contains photos of the past and present.
The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono is truly honored to be celebrating this milestone, and looks forward to a terrific week of fan-friendly events and outstanding racing. For more information on the anniversary celebration, follow us on Twitter @DownsAtMSP, #pcd50; and keep checking back for updates in the Racing section of www.mohegansunpocono.com.
Feb 25, 2015 | Racing
The 50th Anniversary Season of Pocono Downs kicks off Saturday, March 21st, and the season promises exciting stakes action; fun fan events; and an anniversary week celebrating the rich history of the track.
The Bobby Weiss Late Closing Series, named for the former Director of Track Maintenance, opens the meet, with the finals set for April 18-22.
Kentucky Derby Day, May 2th, traditionally a huge celebration of racing and partying, will also boast a double-header with two Pocono live race cards. Post Time for the first will be at 11 a.m., and the second will be immediately following the 141st running of the Derby. In between, there will be the Run for the Roses Hat Review; a luscious Champagne Brunch in Pacers Clubhouse; a souvenir photo booth; and Spa Sapphire’s makeup booth.
The $2 million Sun Stakes Saturday is set for July 4th, with the Earl Beal Jr. Memorial Trot; the Ben Franklin Free For All Pace; Max Hempt Memorial; and the James Lynch Memorial contested on this prestigious night of racing. Eliminations are set for June 27th.
Super Stakes Saturday returns to Pocono on anniversary night, August 22, with nearly $2.1 million in purses and the Colonial; the Battle of the Brandywine; and the Valley Forge, along with two consolations for each. Other festivities are planned for the anniversary, to be announced soon.
Racing in the month of March will be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday, with Sundays added April through June; Fridays jump in the mix in July, August, and September; and from mid-October through closing on November 21, racing nights will be Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. The schedule is at http://mohegansunpocono.com/racing/schedules.html.
A 50th Anniversary Souvenir Book will be on sale starting March 21st, featuring a look back at 50 years of racing; events; and photos from Pocono Downs. The book is $3 and is available at the Program desk.
Sep 21, 2013 | Racing
September 13-19, 2013
With only about a month until the Breeders Crown on Saturday, October 19 at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, it’s as good a time as any to start looking ahead to how some of the top competitors shape up. Because of the increase in the number of stakes races at Pocono, many more of the North America’s best horses have already traveled over the oval this season than at the same point three years ago when the Breeders Crown was last held at MSPD.
With that in mind, we thought we’d take a look at the Top 10 horses in the most recent Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown and see just how well they’ve done this year at Pocono. We’ll count them down in descending order, just like this really good Bob Dylan book I heard about lately.
10. SEVRUGA: This 5-year-old trotting gelding from the Julie Miller barn has won nine of 19 starts this year with earnings of close to $500,000. His first start at Pocono this season was a memorable one, as he ripped off a victory in an Invitational trot in 1:50:3, a new-world record for aged geldings on a 5/8-mile oval. He was upset, however, by Wishing Stone in his last Pocono appearance on Super Stakes Saturday.
9. MAVEN: This 4-year-old trotting gelding is one of the few in the Top 10 who has yet to make an appearance at Pocono in 2013, although fans with longer memories may remember him as a solid performer in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes action at the track as a two and three-year-old. Maven’s biggest success this season has been in Canada, where he in unbeaten in four races for trainer Jonas Czernyson.
8. PET ROCK: A four-year-old pacing stallion from the Virgil Morgan Jr. barn, Pet Rock has had an outstanding season once again in 2013 with earnings north of $600,000. But his story at Pocono has been one of near misses. He finished 3rd and 2nd in the Ben Franklin pace elimination and final in June, then came up just short behind A Rocknroll Dance on Super Stakes Saturday.
7. VEGAS VACATION: Most people have conceded the 3-year-old pacing division to Captaintreacherous, but this gelding trained by Casie Coleman pushed the super-horse to the limit in their last meeting on the Pocono oval, finishing just a nose behind him in the slop in the Max Hempt. He’s been building confidence since then, scoring big-money victories at Tioga and Mohawk.
6. A ROCKNROLL DANCE: Trainer Jim Mulinix hopes the old phrase “horses for courses” applies come Breeders Crown time, because the last two starts this 4-year-old pacer had at Pocono were memorable. In 2012, he turned around a floundering season with a win in the Max Hempt Memorial. His lone start here this season was a win on Super Stakes Saturday in 1:47:4, matching the fastest ever at the track.
5. ROYALTY FOR LIFE: As the Hambletonian winner as well as a victor in several other big stakes races, 2013 has been a great year for Royalty For Life, trained by George Ducharme. Except at Pocono. Back in June, the 3-year-old trotter broke stride in both the elimination and the final for the Earl Beal Jr. In August, he got caught up in a speed duel and faded to 7th as the favorite in the Colonial.
4. FATHER PATRICK: The most celebrated 2-year-old in the country, Father Patrick made his trotting debut at Pocono in July in Pennsylvania All Stars action with a seven-length victory. He returned a few weeks later for another easy score in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes. With seven wins in eight races so far for trainer Jimmy Takter, you get the feeling he’ll be tough no matter what track hosts him.
3. I LUV THE NITELIFE: With just one loss in 11 races this season, the pride of the Chris Ryder barn has been without a doubt the class of the 3-year-old pacing fillies division. She has been especially fine at Pocono, winning all three of her races here this year. Included among those were big stakes wins in the James Lynch and the Valley Forge, the latter coming in a world record for her age group of 1:48:4.
2. CAPTAINTREACHEROUS: It took a world-record performance from Sunshine Beach to spoil his unbeaten season at Pocono in the Battle of the Brandywine, and even then it was only in a photo finish. Before that, the Captain overcame a treacherous trip, if you will, to win the Hempt in June. Will the 3-year-old pacing colt from the Tony Alagna barn step up on Breeders Crown day? Time will tell.
1. BEE A MAGICIAN: The number-one horse in the poll is a relative unknown to Pocono fans, since she’s the only one on this list to have never raced at MSPD. The 3-year-old trotting filly from the Nifty Norman barn has done most of her damage in Canada, but she did stop at The Meadowlands this year to win the Hambletonian Oaks as part of her record of twelve wins in twelve races in 2013.
Those are just some of the horses to watch come October at Pocono. With all of that firepower on display, it should be an amazing night.
That will do it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at jbeviglia@mohegansunpocono.com.
Aug 30, 2013 | Racing
August 23-29, 2013
The kids are going back to school, real football is about to be played, and my tan, what there was of it, has long since faded. That can only mean that the summer months are winding down and, as Bob Seger once sang, autumn’s closin’ in. Still, there is no let-up whatsoever in the racing action at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, as was evident in the racing week just gone past. So let’s celebrate the finest performers of the last four racing nights by handing out the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: BLISSFULL DREAMER
It’s difficult to sustain a long winning streak in the sport of harness racing, even for a horse who stays in the same class. That’s because staying in the same class doesn’t necessarily mean facing the same field week after week, as hot horses could be moving up from lower classes while horses used to facing tougher competition might be dropping down. Add to that the vagaries of post position week to week, racing luck, and the simple possibility of an off week, and you can see why a four-race winning streak like the one Blissfull Dreamer was riding heading into her race on Friday night is such an achievement.
Blissfull Dreamer has been sharp all year long as a 4-year-old mare, coming into her battle with the $12,500 distaff claimers on Friday with victories in 11 of 24 races on the season. She has shown the ability to come from off the pace in past races, but, with an inside post on Friday, she was sent to the lead early on by driver Ron Pierce to control the pace.
Her fifth straight victory wasn’t destined to be an easy win, however, as long shot Fire In The Night made a strong move in the stretch. Blissfull Dreamer, trained by Rene Allard, had the ultimate answer though, digging in late to win by a neck in 1:53:1. That makes it five in a row, the longest winning streak at Pocono this season, one that shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
Other top pacers this week: Ultimate Beachboy (Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke), who won a showdown with fellow Super Stakes Saturday winner Jonny Rock by a nose in Saturday night’s featured condition pace in 1:50; Rick’s Crossroads (Matt Kakaley, Brewer Adams), whose victory over a field of $10,000 claimers on Saturday night in 1:51:3 was his third straight at Pocono and fourth in a row overall; and Power Pach Hanover (Andy Miller, John Cancelliere), a 3-year-old filly who now has three wins in a row at Pocono after her condition victory on Tuesday night in 1:50:4.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: FLASHBACKS
This 4-year-old stallion from the Wendy Chellis barn fell into a bit of a rut when he arrived from Tioga in June, struggling to make much of a mark against the tougher condition trotters on the grounds. The light switched on when he dropped down into a condition for non-winners of $11,000 in the last five races on August 9. As a 9-1 shot he made a strong first over move and scored an upset win in a career-best 1:53:1.
Flashbacks was back at it again on Friday night in the same class, yet he was still given a tepid chance from the fans as a 7-2 third choice. This time around driver Drew Chellis decided to send his trotter to the front early, reaching the quarter in a rapid time which seemed to augur trouble for Flashbacks if he couldn’t pace himself a little better.
But Drew Chellis rated the horse masterfully through the middle portion of the race, conserving energy for the stretch drive. In the stretch, Flashbacks was still itching to go, and he powered home for a second consecutive win, this one in 1:54:3. With two straight impressive wins, this trotter with a name that suggests a dive back into the past is definitely looking ahead to a bright future.
Honorable mention on the trotting side this week goes to: From Above (Andrew McCarthy, Mark Silva), who won the week’s featured condition trot on Saturday night in 1:54; Ballet Slippers (Andy Miller, Julie Miller), a filly who now has three straight wins, the last two coming at Pocono, after a condition victory on Friday night in 1:57:1; and Bloomfieldcantifly (Anthony Napolitano, Rene Allard), a mare who ripped off her second straight claiming handicap win on Tuesday night, this one coming in 1:56:1.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: FLIGHT EXEC
Despite back-to-back wins coming into the race, Flight Exec, with Kevin Wallis driving, was a 23-1 shot when he upended a field of $25,000 claimers on Saturday nightand paid out $48.20 on a $2 win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: ANTHONY NAPOLITANO
Anthony has been a steady presence in the drivers’ standings all year long, but he’s really been picking up the pace of late, as evidenced by a driving triple on Tuesday night.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: TONY ALAGNA
Alagna sent a pair of 2-year-olds to the gate on Tuesday night, and both Status Quo and Some Playa, came away with convincing victories.
That will do it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at jbeviglia@mohegansunpocono.com.
