Stellar NH Sweeps field

World champion Primetime Bobcat heads a spectacular field of eight top-class pacers headed to Rockingham Park on Saturday to contest the $120,000 New Hampshire Sweepstakes.

In what will be one of the marquis pacing events on the North American harness racing schedule this year, the New Hampshire Sweeps will be waged as an invitational race for the first time since Rockingham switched from Thoroughbreds to Standardbreds exclusively in 2003. The eight invitees for the 2006 edition, which is Rockingham's signature race, have combined career earnings of over $4 million and have racked up 175 wins on the track.

Primetime Bobcat, who is trained by Anthony Montini and will be driven by Jody Jamieson, has won his last three starts in Open events at Woodbine in Canada and the son of Abercrombie has not finished out of the money in his last seven outings. The 9-year-old gelding's most impressive race was two back, when he set the world record of 1:47.2 for the mile on May 13th.

Starting from post position number six, Primetime Bobcat figures to be one of the strong favorites along with Hop Sing, who was voted the Pacer of the Month for April by The U.S. Trotting Association.

Hop Sing beat Primetime Bobcat three races ago when he won the $200,000 Dan Patch Invitational at Hoosier Park in Indiana with Anthony Morgan in the bike. The 5-year-old gelded son of The Panderosa has another date with Morgan on Saturday.

Another horse who figures to attract considerable support at the windows is local favorite Whosurboy, who pulled off the upset in the 2004 $100,000 New Hampshire Sweepstakes. Last Saturday, on Rockingham's opening day of the season, the 8-year-old horse established a new Rockingham and New England record for all ages, gaits, and sex when he paced the mile over a fast track in 1:49. Michael MacDonald drove him that day, and the two will be paired again for the New Hampshire Sweeps.

Here's the field for the New Hampshire Sweeps with morning line odds:

15-1 Cool Flying Fun
2-1 Hop Sing
8-1 Attorney General N
6-1 Life Is A Cabaret
9-2 All Over The Place
5-2 Primetime Bobcat
12-1 Whosurboy
20-1 Tarver Hanover

Post time for New Hampshire Sweepstakes day is 1:05 p.m. and the race is scheduled to go off at 4:22 p.m.

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