The Starlights to dazzle this summer
Star power will be on show across Queensland’s harness racing tracks again this summer for the second iteration of The Starlights.
The summer carnival will feature six blockbuster nights at Redcliffe and Albion Park across November and December, with more than $2 million in prizemoney and bonuses on offer.
Staged from November 14 to December 5, The Starlights will again be headlined by the Blacks A Fake, Queensland’s time-honoured Grand Circuit event.
The summer carnival will commence on Saturday, November 14, at Albion Park with the Be Good Johnny Sprint, with the race to hold extra special meaning this year following the recent passing of the dual Miracle Mile winner and Queensland Harness Racing Hall of Fame member.
The Creek will also host the heats of the Sunshine Stars Yearling Sale Classic and the Darrell Alexander Trotting Championship on Friday, November 20.
The following evening, the action heads to Redcliffe for the finals of the Garrards Redcliffe Yearling Sale Race Series, along with the Chris Garrard Memorial.
The Creek will then host the first of three huge feature nights on Friday, November 27, with the Group 3 Queensland Trotters Oaks and Group 3 Queensland Trotters Derby being run alongside the second round of heats for the Darrell Alexander Trotting Championship.
Acting Racing Queensland CEO Lachlan Murray said The Starlights was the perfect way to cap off another outstanding season for harness racing in Queensland.
“We saw the success last year of the introduction of The Starlights, with the new summer carnival the perfect time for our annual Grand Circuit event, the Blacks A Fake, to shine on its own,” Mr Murray said.
“Coming off the back of another record-breaking wagering Inter Dominion series, there will not be a better place for pacers and trotters to strut their stuff than right here in Queensland over the coming months.
“I look forward to welcoming drivers, trainers and fans from across Australia in what is sure to be another memorable summer carnival for harness racing.”
The Starlights’ penultimate night on Saturday, November 28 includes the Group 2 Sunshine Sprint, along with the finals of the Sunshine Stars Yearling Sale Classic and Peak Of The Creek.
Finally, the carnival will close with a blockbuster evening on December 5, with the state’s premier annual Group 1 feature, the Blacks A Fake Queensland Championship, to be run for $250,000.
The inaugural North Star Series Final, as well as the final of the Group 2 Darrell Alexander Trotting Championship, will also be contested on the same night.
Click here for the full The Starlights schedule.
