Driver Mark Herschberger, continuing to make a name for himself by currently sitting third in the win production totals at both Harrah’s Philadelphia and The Meadowlands, showed another sign of his upward turn in recognition during the Monday, Oct. 19 afternoon card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. 

He was asked by trainer Jim King Jr. to make a cameo appearance at the mountain oval to drive Sassinator in the $119,296 John Simpson Sr. Stakes for two-year-old pacing males, and he cashed in fully with his only drive by winning in 1:52.2.

Sassinator, an altered son of Papi Rob Hanover-Newborn Sassy owned and bred by Tim Tetrick LLC of Woolwich Township, New Jersey and Jo Ann Looney-King of Harrington, Delaware, left strongly from the inside and seated rivals early, but then favoured River Ranch Mac (Braxten Boyd) decided to move past the :27.4 quarter and got the lead well before the :55.4 half.

Herschberger had plenty of horse in the two-hole and moved Sassinator back to command past the 1:24.3 three-quarters, but just because River Ranch Mac had been passed didn’t mean he was done as he re-rallied in the Pocono Pike. However, his late surge came up a head shy in the :27.4 last quarter. Big Crunch (Simon Allard) rallied wide from the backfield to get up for third over two lengths back at 79-1 odds.

Sassinator earned his first victory since his career debut on July 10 at Harrah's Philadelphia, with five top three finishes in between including four in Pennsylvania Stallion Series preliminary legs. He knocked more than two full seconds off his lifetime mark with his Simpson Stakes score in his ninth career start.

In a $22,535 fast-class event for older trotters on the Monday card, the four-year-old International Moni-Shared Past gelding Scudo Hanover had about as rough a trip as can be imagined, but he still strode clear to win by five lengths in 1:53. Scudo Hanover was four-wide leaving and had worked his way down to two-wide in third by the :27.4 quarter while pressing forward. Cassius Hanover (Kevin Wallis) would not let him clear to the lead, however, and Scudo Hanover was first though still outside at the mid-splits of :55.1 and 1:23.3. The powerful winner just kept on going and finally managed to clear the leader around the far turn, drawing off to win by five lengths for driver Ridge Warren and trainer Robert Baggitt Jr., co-owner with Christine Baggitt of Bangor, Pennsylvania and J L Sadowsky of Bonita Springs, Florida.

Half of the remaining 12 races on the Monday 14-race card were won by 15-time Pocono driving champion George Napolitano Jr., including both divisions of a $21,831 conditioned trot for developing horses. The faster of Napolitano's winners in this group was the Ready Cash-To Soon three-year-old filly Tindra Cash S, just a bit more photogenic in 1:54.1 for trainer Åke Svanstedt and Suleyman Yuksel Stables of Delray Beach, Florida; just a tick behind was the other winner On Golden Pond, a four-year-old Southwind Frank-Glowngold mare who took a new mark for trainer Marc Mosher and owner Ronald Bolduc of Lugoff, South Carolina.

Aside from Napolitano's six-bagger, multiple winners Monday were the 2026 leading Pocono winner in the driving category Tyler Buter, along with trainer Tom Cancelliere, both his winners driven by Napolitano.

The Simpson Stakes for two-year-old trotting fillies will go in two $47,550 USD divisions as the feature on the 1 p.m. Tuesday card, which will have a carryover into the last race High 5 wager. 

(With files from PHHA/Pocono)