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

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Ranger has not competed at The Rock on a full time basis since 2003 and 2004, when he won back-to-back leading driver honours 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 p.m. and the $12,500 Mountain Skipper Final is the featured race on the undercard.

(Rockingham Park)