The best older pacers in harness racing will convene in Maryland at Rosecroft Raceway on Sunday (Nov. 17) for the $125,000 Potomac Pace Invitational. The track's marquee event is slated as race 11 on an 14-race card that kicks off with a special 3:00 P.M. (EST) post time. Trainer Andrew Harris sends out a pair in the field led by the leading money-winner from the division in 2024 Abuckabett Hanover. The 6-year-old son of Betting Line has won the Dayton Derby, William Haughton and Dave Brower stakes along the way but comes into the Potomac Pace off a disappointing seventh-place finish in the Breeders Crown after being used very hard to make the lead from post eight through fractions of 26 and 53 2/5. Prior to that he had finished first or second in his previous five starts, all stakes. "He was tired for a few days after the race as expected, but we gave him a couple of weeks and he bounced back," said Harris, who sends Abuckabett Hanover out from post three with Dexter Dunn driving. "He trained great yesterday [Nov. 13]. We did the usual thing, tucked him in a hole, let him get brave and then pass a couple of horses; just reinvigorated him a little bit and he seems really sharp." While Abuckabett Hanover leads the pack at $621,147 earned this year, both Coaches Corner, who has been racing at MGM Yonkers Raceway in the MGM Grand Prix Pacing Series, and Little Rocket Man (post seven in the Potomac) are less than $70,000 behind with a chance to catch up during the remainder of stakes events in November. For Harris, who co-owns Abuckabett Hanover with William Pollock and Bruce Areman, a Dan Patch Award for Older Pacer of the Year at the end of 2024 would be a great honor. "I don't know what it will take to seal up the award; he only has two races left," said Harris, referring to the Potomac and FanDuel final at the Meadowlands on November 30. "It think it would mean the world to Bill to have this horse, who we sat down and talked him into buying. He absolutely loves this horse. It would be huge for him, and probably be invigorating for the sport for him to get an award like that because it will make him want to invest more into it." Harris also sends out a likely longshot in El Rey from post five with Todd McCarthy slated to drive. While his odds may be high, the 4-year-old should be taken more seriously after finishing third in the Breeders Crown at 150-1 and following that up with a win and a third in the MGM Grand Prix Pacing Series at Yonkers. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter "Certain horses, as 4-year-olds battling aged horses, it takes a bit of an adjustment period," said Harris. "El Rey is one of those horses that I think is going to be a major player next year. He just took that adjustment period. He was racing horses that could go more than he could go, and it took some time to get his footing versus them. He had a little bit of the 4-year-old blues as well. Now, at the end of the year, he's getting bigger and stronger as well. It just seems to me that he's starting to fit into that division now." Harris added that El Rey has blazing speed off the gate which could come into play, especially on a five-eighths surface like Rosecroft. "This horse on a five-eighths definitely has a shot," said Harris. "He has unreal gate speed. It has been unrealized because he's been in races versus aged horses and he's drawn bad posts, so we've had to duck him [race conservatively]. He's drawn eight and nine more than any horse I've had. He showed off his speed a little at Yonkers recently. He can blast off the wings, and he still has staying power somehow." While the Potomac is stacked with eight legitimate contenders, beaten 2-5 Breeders Crown favorite Bythemissal is certainly at the top of the list. The Ron Burke trainee was sidelined for a spell during the summer but was riding a two-race winning streak into the Crown final before finishing a non-threatening fifth after making a first-over bid into Abuckabett Hanover. He'll look to rebound from post six with regular driver Yannick Gingras at the helm. Ruthless Hanover was a major part of the early pace in the Breeders Crown Open Pace and did well to finish fourth, beaten less than two lengths. Although he'll be hampered by post eight, the speedy Tom Cancelliere-trained 7-year-old is a five-eighths track savant who has won four of five starts over that sized track in 2024 and owns the fastest mile ever - 1:46 3/5 (Harrah's Philadelphia on May 28, 2023) - on a three-turn mile. "It is not as hard [at Rosecroft] for a leaver like that. They have the slanted starting gate there like Chester [Philadelphia]," said Harris about Ruthless Hanover, who will be driven by George Napolitano Jr. Rounding out the field for the Potomac are Charlie May (post one, Tim Tetrick), It's My Show (two, Scott Zeron) and Voukefalas (four, Jordan Stratton).