WHEN: Friday, February 24th at 8:00pm on the Sky Bridge

IN DETAIL: Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs’ Signature Events provide an exciting lineup offering once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to meet some of your favorite celebrities and more! All events are free and open to the public.

ABOUT ALEX:   Before reaching world-wide popularity from the hit reality TV series, The Real Housewives of New York City, Alex McCord appeared on shows like One Life to Live and Cyberchase, as well as the films The Great New Wonderful, Uptown Girls and The Warrior Class. Alex has also talked about parenting, marriage and lifestyle topics on shows like Joy Behar, Huckabee, LXTV, Access Hollywood, The Insider, ET and Daily 10. When she’s not on camera, she’s spending time with her husband Simon and two children in their Brooklyn, New York townhouse.  More information on Alex McCord can be found at www.McCordVanKempen.com.

ABOUT DIVA FRIDAYS: Even more great entertainment, events and offers exclusively for the ladies happens every Friday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs’ Diva Fridays.  It’s the best night for girls to get together and enjoy ladies only offers, events and promotions. More information can be found at poconodowns.com/entertainment/divas.html

ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN At POCONO DOWNS:

Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, owned by the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut, is one of the most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping and dining destinations in Pennsylvania. Situated on 400 acres in Plains, Pennsylvania, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs is currently home to 55,000 square feet of gaming space including over 82 live table games, 2,300 slot machines and electronic table games, a variety of dining and shopping options, nightlife, entertainment and live harness racing. Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs is within easy access of New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware. More information is available by calling 1.888.win.inpa (1.888.946.4672) or visiting mohegansunpocono.com.

]]> http://newsroom.mohegansunpoconodowns.com/?feed=rss2&p=745 0 http://newsroom.mohegansunpoconodowns.com/?p=745 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MoheganSunPoconoDownsNewsroom/~3/6C7QSIi1les/ http://newsroom.mohegansunpoconodowns.com/?p=737#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:58:13 +0000 Cathy Soper http://newsroom.mohegansunpoconodowns.com/?p=737 Exclusive ladies-only offers, events and promotions each Friday

WILKES-BARRE, PA – Grab your girlfriends and head over to Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs for Diva Fridays! This new and exciting program, exclusively for the ladies, begins on February 3rd. Each Friday, ladies can enjoy some of the best retail and dining specials as well as great entertainment and promotions.

Signature Events

Each Friday, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs is the place to be – but on select Fridays, there will be even more excitement as they host Signature Events, where the hottest entertainers and celebrities host free event and/or autograph signings. Past events have included, but aren’t limited to appearances by Teresa Giudice of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Kym Johnson of Dancing with the Stars, Siobhan Magnus of American Idol and Chelsie Hightower and Mark Ballas of Dancing with the Stars, among cast members of Jerseylicious, racing pro Kasey Kahne and so many more!

Exclusive Offers

Various shops and restaurants at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs will be offering discounts as part of Diva Fridays including $3.00 Apple Martinis at Wolfgang Puck Express, $10.00 off a purchase of $75.00 or more at either Marshall Rousso or Ruby Blue and much more!  A full listing on all offers is available on poconodowns.com/entertainment/divas.html.

About Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs

Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, owned by the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut, is one of the most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping and dining destinations in Pennsylvania. Situated on 400 acres in Plains, Pennsylvania, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs is currently home to 55,000 square feet of gaming space including over 82 live table games, 2,300 slot machines and electronic table games, a variety of dining and shopping options, nightlife, entertainment and live harness racing. Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs is within easy access of New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware. More information is available by calling 1.888.win.inpa (1.888.946.4672) or visiting mohegansunpocono.com.

The James Lynch Memorial for 3-year-old Pacing Fillies, carrying a purse of $300,000, has been relocated to this tremendous night, and the move allows the race to be held after the Fan Hanover Final at Mohawk.  The $350,000 Max Hempt Memorial for 3-year-old Colts and Geldings will also be contested, with the new date allowing this race to be held between the North American Cup and the Meadowlands Pace.   

Eliminations for all races will be held one week earlier, on Saturday, June 23^rd.  This promises to be another thrilling night of top-notch racing, as Pocono will host the Earl Beal, Jr. Memorial Trot for the second year in a row, carrying a purse of $500,000.  Eliminations will be held on Friday, June 15 for the Beal.

 Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs opens their 47^th racing season on Tuesday, April 3 and continues to Saturday, November 17^th.  For the complete racing calendar and Stakes Schedule, go to www.mohegansunpocono.com.

Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs is getting  ready to open their 47^th racing season on April 3,  and with the anticipation of opening comes the announcement of the new Stakes Schedule, filled with the biggest and most exciting races.  

Grand Circuit Week, starting Tuesday, July 3^rd,  will feature the  Pennsylvania All-Stars for 2-Year-Olds and 3-Year-Olds.  The total estimated purses is $600,000 with eight Pennsylvania-sired events for both Colt and Geldings, and Fillies. 

Race Secretary Rick Kane has announced the nomination deadline for 3-year-olds as February 15, and for 2-year-olds March 15.  The form is available at http://www.poconodowns.com/pdf/racing/2012-Closer-Entry-Form.pdf, 

Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs will race Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday with a Post Time of 6:30 p.m.  In addition, during the months of July and August, a Sunday night card will be added, also with a 6:30 p.m. Post Time.

Hot hunks of charity calendar take part in exclusive signing on December 17th

WHAT:   Things will get scorching hot at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs  when  the sexy firefighters of Nation’s Bravest: Firefighters Unite charity calendar take part in an exclusive Signings & Sightings event at Breakers on Saturday, December 17th.  Net proceeds for this event will benefit each firefighter’s charity.

WHEN:      Saturday, December 17th

                        7:00pm – 9:00pm

                        Breakers

IN DETAIL:  Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs’ Signature Events provide an exciting lineup offering once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to meet some of your favorite celebrities and more! All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit mohegansunpocono.com.

Please note that guests must purchase a calendar to have photo taken with firefighters.

ABOUT NATION’S BRAVEST:  Turn up the heat with Nation’s Bravest: Firefighters Unite, the first-ever national calendar featuring twelve sexy firefighters from across the USA.  These sizzling hunks will light your fire 365 days a year, while benefiting a dozen worthy causes in Charlotte, Chicago, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Francisco, St. Louis, Seattle, St. Louis and Tampa. Visit NationsBravest.com to witness these heroes in action via videos, photos and more.

ACCOUNCES 2012 RACING SCHEDULE 

A double-header on Kentucky Derby Day and an additional day per week of racing in July and August are two of the changes in the new Pocono racing schedule for 2012, as announced by Vice President of Racing Operations, Dale Rapson. 

Racing opens at the famous 5/8 mile oval in Wilkes Barre, PA on April 3, and continues on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.  Highlighting the new season will be an additional  night of racing on Sundays in July and August.   

Rick Kane, Director of Racing, promises an exciting season of racing with the top horses and drivers returning for another record-breaking year.  “Look for some surprises in our stakes schedule, which we’ll announce shortly.  This year will be bigger and better than ever!” 

Kentucky Derby Day, May 4^th, 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 138^th running of the Derby.  In between, there will be the Run for the Roses Hat Revue and the famous Mint Juleps! 

Post Time for all racing nights is 6:30 p.m., with the season concluding on Saturday, November 17. 

WHAT: 

WHEN:             Saturday, November 19, 2011

                        12:00pm – Free Autograph Signing

                       Sky Bridge

IN DETAIL:  Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs’ Signature Events provide an exciting lineup offering once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to meet some of your favorite celebrities and more! All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit mohegansunpocono.com.

ABOUT REESE:  Tribble Reese is a jack-of-all-trades and an up-and-comer in the entertainment industry. Born in Atlanta, raised in Alabama, schooled in South Carolina, and now making a name for himself where it all began, Tribble Reese is taking Atlanta, and the world, by storm. He is an actor, model, entertainer, host, former quarterback and most importantly, a great friend, brother, and son. He was voted “The Most Eligible Bachelor” for South Carolina in 2008 by Cosmopolitan and voted Jezebel Magazine’s “Most Beautiful” in 2010. Tribble currently bartends at a 40-year-old Atlanta staple, Five Paces Inn, where he knows just about everyone there by name. He is aspiring to become a full-time on-air personality, building on all of his experience to date. Tribble is best known as one of the handsome bachelors on Sweet Home Alabama, a reality television series on the Country Music Television network.

WHEN:       Friday, November 18th

8:00pm – 9:00pm, Free Autograph Signing

Outside of Breakers

IN DETAIL: Mohegan Sun at Po
cono Downs’ Signature Events provide an exciting lineup offering once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to meet some of your favorite celebrities and more! All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit mohegansunpocono.com.

ABOUT THE SHOW:  Jerseylicious, the hit reality show on the Style Network, follows the personalities of the owners, hairstylists and make-up artists of Gatsby Salon as they all work together to relaunch the newly-renovated store in New Jersey.

November 12, 2011

Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs closed out its 2011 season by honoring some of its finest horses, trainers, and drivers, while Golden Receiver provided one more highlight by winning the featured pace on Saturday night.

Golden Receiver, trained by Mark Harder and driven to victory by Howard Parker, picked up his second straight win in the winners of over $25,000 lifetime condition pace, which carried a purse of $29,000. The gelding won in 1:49:3, holding off Vlos by 1 ¼ lengths.

Throughout the week, Pocono honored its top performers of the season. The honorees included:  Matt Kakaley, most driving wins; Dave Palone, highest UDRS; Lou Pena, leader in training wins and UTRS; Drop Red, Pacer of the Year; Winning Mister, Trotter of the Year; Economy Terror, 2-year-old of the Year; Forever Ivy, Mare of the Year; Segundo Hanover, Claiming Pacer of the Year; Natural Woman N, Claiming Mare of the Year; and Pembrook Street, Claiming Trotter of the Year.

Mohegan Sun would like to thank all of its racing fans for helping us provide another outstanding season, and we look forward to the upcoming campaign scheduled to begin in the spring of 2012.

2011 Season Review

Well, here we are at the conclusion of another season of racing at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. We got started all the way back on March 22, and we’ll close things out on Saturday night, November 12. It seems like we just got underway, but, instead, it’s time to wrap things up.

As the track announcer at Pocono, I have the best seat in the house for all of the racing action. This was my fourth year in the booth, and I’ve been employed here since 1997 in some capacity or other. The changes that I’ve witnessed have been truly been monumental, but nothing has changed nearly as much, all for the positive, as the quality of racing.

I think that coming into the 2011 season at Pocono, there might have been a sense that a letdown could be in the offing. After all, MSPD hosted the Breeders Crown, harness racing’s night of champions, back in 2010, and there was seemingly nothing on the schedule that could match the brilliance of that event.

It turns out that 2011 at MSPD was a constant series of highlights, with one incendiary performance leading to another. All you need to do is look at the track records page in the program to get confirmation of this. Of the 24 different categories of track records, based on age, gender, and gait, 10 of them were set in 2011. In a few of those cases, the records that fell came from Breeders Crown night.

Among those track records, a few stand out more than most. Economy Terror, a 2-year-old pacing filly, and Sand Violent Blu, a 2-year-old trotting filly, set their track marks while winning state championships as part of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes finals in September. Dejarmbro inaugurated the Earl Beal Jr. Memorial Trot, a new Pocono stakes race featuring 3-year-old trotters, by matching a world record in 1:52:2. And who could forget the dead heat between Macraider N and Bettor Sweet in an Open pace in May, which came in 1:48:4, fastest time ever for two horses hitting the line in a tie?

As great as those miles were, the one that stands out for me was the mile paced by 4-year-old stallion We Will See in an Open pace on September 4. With Ron Pierce in the bike, he tripped the line in 1:48, setting the mark for fastest mile in track history and matching the fastest time ever on a 5/8-mile oval. That one is still jaw-dropping several months after the fact.

Of course, as great as the horses were, we also have to salute the drivers and trainers who conditioned and guided them to such great performances. Congratulations to Matt Kakaley, who came out on top of an outstanding field of drivers in the wins department. Dave Palone took the driving average title, which was all the more impressive considering that the Meadows regular usually only came to Pocono if there were some big stakes races on tap.

On the training side, it was a clean sweep for Lou Pena, who led the trainers in both wins and percentage at Pocono. Those three guys that I just mentioned were at the top of the charts, but the distinguishing characteristic about the MSPD driving and training colony is the balance. So many men and women had outstanding campaigns in 2011. Congratulations to them all.

It has been a pleasure writing these columns, as usual. Thanks to all the publications and web sites that run these articles, and thanks to all the readers. Thanks as well to all of the people who make my job the easiest in the world. Again, too many to mention in this case, and I don’t want to leave anybody out, so a blanket thanks will have to suffice.

Of course, thanks to all the fans who came out to see the action this year at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. It must be especially rewarding for those fans that have been with us even in leaner times. They stuck with us, and now they’re enjoying what truly is the Golden Age of Pocono racing.

I guess it’s natural at the end of one season to look ahead to the next, but it’s hard to say what 2012 will hold. Harness racing is ever-changing, and the stars of one year are often also-rans the next. But while it may be hard to predict who will be in these articles next season, it’s no stretch to say that the upcoming meet will probably top this one.

That is not a reflection in any way on the great, great season ready to be consigned to the history books and the memory banks. It is a reflection instead on what has become the status quo at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs:  Sustained excellence and racing quality that is constantly trending upwards.

That will do it for this season, but we’ll see you, next year, at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at jbeviglia@mohegansunpocono.com.