June 19, 2009
BRUCE RANGER WINS FIVE RACES AT
ROCKINGHAM PARK ON FRIDAY; $30,000 NH SWEEPSTAKES FINAL ON
SATURDAY
SALEM, NH-- Bruce Ranger was red hot at Rockingham
Park on Friday, winning five races on the card to climb atop the leading driver
standings for the first time during the current meet.
Ranger has not competed at The Rock on a full time
basis since 2003 and 2004, when he won back-to-back leading driver honors
and established all of the modern day harness records for a driver in a single
season and then broke his own records the following year. While he's now back on
top, it is only by the slimmest of margins.
With his five wins on Friday bringing his total to
16, Ranger jumped ahead of David Ingraham, who entered the day with 15 wins but
was blanked on the 10-race card. Ingraham was Rockingham's back-to-back leading
driver in 2005 and 2006.
Racing over a track rendered sloppy by the rains
that fell all day, Ranger won the third race with Silky Pockets N ($4.20), the
fourth with Caughtfoolinaround ($8.00), the seventh with Buttler ($7.00), the
eighth with Harold Greene ($3.00), and the ninth with Curly Whirly
($7.80).
On Saturday, Ranger will drive Arid N, the 9-2
third choice in the early line, in the $30,000 New Hampshire Sweepstakes Final
when Rockingham Park presents the track's signature race for pacers. Ingram will
be partnered with Golden Mattjesty, the 10-1 choice in the New Hampshire
Sweepstakes, after the horse's connections chose to enter him rather than stable
mate Paper Luck because the conditions of the race prohibit common ownership of
two horses in the field.
Post time for New Hampshire Sweepstakes Day at
Rockingham is 1:05 PM and the $12,500 Mountain Skipper Final is the featured
race on the undercard.
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