It may be hard to believe, but Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania is already starting to gear up for its 61st year of presenting harness racing in northeast Pennsylvania.
The first betting card for the 2026 season is set for Saturday, Feb. 14. Pocono will run a basic schedule of Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday racing right through its closing day of Nov. 21; there will be nine cards on consecutive Sunday starting May 31, with first post on Sunday at 5 p.m.
But before the bettors invest their wagering dollars, it is harness tradition to have some qualifying races, mostly for horses who are coming off long layoffs or who have been having trouble holding their stride. That’s why the “start of racing” is only a month away, as there will be qualifying races on both Monday, Feb. 9 and Tuesday, Feb. 10, so as to ensure a sufficient amount of fit racehorses are ready to start the season. The draw for the first qualifiers will be held on Friday, Feb. 6 (11 a.m. box closing).
The first set of feature races will be part of the popular Game Of Claims Series, with horses base-tagged for $25,000 set for opening day action and the following two Saturdays, trying to earn a spot in their $35,000 Championship on Saturday, March 7. This year the various Game Of Claims Series will be scattered throughout the racing year at the mountain oval, and claiming will be allowed out of the Game Of Claims Championship races.
The signature card of the Pocono racing season is the $2.3 million Sun Stakes Saturday, held in its traditional spot which this year plays out to Saturday, August 22, with a special post time of 2:30 p.m. Such stars as Frantic Hanover (whose $288,564 earned in PA Sire Stakes last year was the best-ever season in the Sires), national champion Loua Dipa, and Ginger Tree Lex are possible state-bred entrants looking to test the best of the rest of North America in four races for the top three-year-olds.
The Bobby Weiss Series, named after Pocono’s legendary retired trackman, often serves as an early season springboard for developing three-year-olds, and will be featured throughout the month of April. The emerging sophomores will have about $1 million on the line among them all as they established their credentials.
The Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Pennsylvania Stallion Series each have a day for the best of the Keystone-sired two- and three-year-old classes, as will the Pennsylvania All-Stars series beginning in mid-May, and the John Simpson Sr. Memorial Stakes held in early fall. This year, on Monday, Sept. 7, Pocono will host the Sire Stakes Championship and consolation events for two-year-olds, with $1.4 million to be contested among the top babies.
Tyler Buter led the drivers colony in victories in 2025 for his first Pocono sulky crown, and he should hold a prominent place, as will the Napolitano brothers, George Jr. (the winningest driver in the history of the track) and Anthony, who finished 2-3 behind Buter last year. Ron Burke, recently voted U.S. Trainer of the Year for 2025, will be looking to capture his fifth Pocono conditioners title in the last six years.
Additional details will be announced as the start of the season gets nearer.
(PHHA / Pocono; all dollar amounts listed in USD)