March came in like a lion, but the weather didn’t stop the stables at Mohegan Sun Pocono from opening on Monday morning.
At a minute after 8 a.m., trainer William Mullin made his way down the steep incline to the stable gate with his precious cargo, officially kicking off the 50th anniversary season of racing at Pocono.
Accompanied by his stable groom, John Sharp, Mullin began unloading Easter Leggs, Tamasin Hall and Skyline Road into their new home for the next nine months. All three seemed more interested in chowing down than their new surroundings.
The first qualifying races of the meet are scheduled for Tuesday, March 10 at 10 a.m., with two other dates set aside – Thursday, March 12 and Thursday, March 19. Opening night is Saturday, March 21, with a first-race post time of 6:30 p.m.
Pocono Downs opened its doors on July 15, 1965 and is celebrating its 50th anniversary season this year with numerous events planned throughout the summer. Sun Stakes Saturday, with nearly $2 million in purses, is set for Saturday, July 4, and Super Stakes Saturday, with $2.1 million in purses, will be on Saturday, August 22, also the big anniversary celebration.
(Pocono)