Racing Dates

Pocono Downs offers 134 live harness racing days in the year, April through October, with anywhere between 12 and 16 races each night. Post time is usually 7PM. Results can be seen here.

About Pocono Downs

As well as being a casino with over 2,300 slot machines and live tables available to gamers, Pocono Downs is a popular harness racing track situated close to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Seen as one of the better small tracks in the States, live racing is held at Pocono from April to October though bettors are invited in all year round to wager via simulcast.

Important harness races such as the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes, the Max Hempt Memorial Pace, the James Lynch Memorial Pace and the Reynolds Stakes are held at Pocono Downs each year in front of a grandstand holding up to 3,000 people.

A further 500 are accommodated in the clubhouse at Pocono while up to 900 horses can be stabled too on a site which is 15 miles from Scranton via the I-81 and 110 miles from downtown Philadelphia up the I-476.

Pocono Downs History

Pocono opened its doors to the public back on July 15, 1965 in front of a huge crowd some 12,000 strong. The track was built at a cost of around $7,000,000 which equates to more like $55,000,000 in today’s money, quite some investment for the area.

With an initial track record of 2:00.4 set by a horse called Heineken, the two minute barrier was only broken at Pocono Downs 100 times between 1965 and 1981 as the track poses quite a test to runners.

Although once again only a harness racing track these days, Pocono Downs did host thoroughbreds for ten years between 1970 and 1980 during a link-up at the time with the Shamrock Racing Association.

During this time, in 1972, the track closed briefly and was used as an evacuation center for residents who had been displaced by Hurricane Agnes.

In late 1996, Pocono Downs was sold for $47million which appears to show that it has held its value from way back when it was built in ’65 and continues to thrive.

Pocono Downs Track Details

Pocono Downs features a 5/8 mile harness racing track with a short 490-feet stretch. The surface itself is a stone aggregate base mostly made up of stone dust and red rock screenings over the top.

Wager At Pocono With TVG!

Now you know all about Pocono Downs, don’t forget you can wager on races there with TVG. Head to our schedules page to check out the latest race times then bet and watch live!

Address

1280 Pennsylvania 315, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702, USA

Contact

Dale Rapson (drapson@mohegansunpocono.com)