The Group 1 TAB Blacks A Fake is set to headline a new-look Queensland Summer Harness Racing Carnival.
With Harness Racing Australia recently extending the 2019/20 season through until the end of the calendar year, Queensland’s only Grand Circuit event for pacers has been resurrected after initially being abandoned in winter due to COVID-19.
The $175,000 Blacks A Fake will be staged at Albion Park on Saturday, December 12, with the Summer Carnival also poised to feature the Group 2 Queensland Cup and the Group 3 The Be Good Johnny Sprint.
“The TAB Blacks A Fake is Queensland’s biggest harness race and we’re pleased that we’ve been able to re-schedule it as part of our Summer Carnival,” RQ COO Adam Wallish said.
“It has been a challenging period for everyone, but we’re starting to see some green shoots and we look forward to seeing Australasia’s best pacers going head-to-head at Albion Park.”
With the 2020 Inter Dominion Championships postponed until next year, a blockbuster field could be assembled for The Blacks A Fake including a string of local hopes.
Reigning champion Colt Thirty One is expected to be among the leading contenders, while 2017 winner HectorJayJay was recently brought out of retirement and has wasted little time re-establishing himself as among the nation’s best.
Rising star Speech Is Silver is also making a name for himself, with 12 wins from just 16 starts and a further three placings.
“It’s a great result for the industry to have The Blakes A Fake, our signature race and a leg of the Grand Circuit, reinstated in our Summer Carnival,” Albion Park Harness Racing Club Executive Manager Scott Steele said.
“It will be an opportunity for the club to showcase its new corporate facilities combined with premier harness racing action right in the heart of Christmas parties.
“The race is attracting plenty of interest from New Zealand and inter-state participants already with several trainers looking to bring teams of horses to take on the locals at our Summer Carnival.”
Further announcements in relation to the Queensland Summer Harness Racing Carnival are expected in the near future.