Officials with the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono have announced that the Sun Stakes events have been cancelled for 2020.
Those races include the Earl Beal Jr. Memorial Trot, the Ben Franklin Free-For-All-Pace, the Max Hempt Memorial Pace and the James Lynch Memorial Filly Pace. Eliminations for those races were slated to be contested on June 27, with the finals scheduled for July 4.
"While it is the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association and Downs Racing’s sincerest hope that the 2020 racing season in Pennsylvania will be forthcoming, the uncertainty of the season’s calendar makes already scheduled events impossible to predict," said the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association and The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono in a joint statement. "Therefore, it is with heavy hearts that the PHHA and Downs Racing is announcing the cancellation of Sun Stakes 2020.
"When Downs Racing staff is back on the property, refunds will begin to be issued," the statement continued. "The PHHA and The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono look forward to seeing everyone at Sun Stakes 2021.
"The Pennsylvania racing industry is currently working with the Governor’s office and hopes to have positive news to share in the near future."
(PHHA / Pocono)
This means that after The
This means that after The Roll With Joe, on 6/14 at Tioga, there are no more stakes races for older pacers until The William Haughton, 5 weeks later on 7/18. (this is assuming that The Mohawk Gold Cup, scheduled for 6/20, has been either postponed or cancelled.) If Yonkers reopens by mid-June, it could hold an abbreviated edition of The Borgata (previously The Levy) during that 5 week period without interfering with any added-money events scheduled at other tracks.
Not even counting The Gold Cup or The Borgata, there are now 7 stakes races for older pacers which have been cancelled in 2020 and will not be made up.