News & Media

24 April 2008 Rising Stars Invitation Stakes - Take Two

The $25,000 RWWA Rising Stars Invitation Stakes was originally scheduled to be held at Gloucester Park on March 7th with the race featuring Western Australia’s 2008 Rising Star Justin Prentice, New South Wales Rising Star Stacey Towers and leading Tasmanian junior driver Gareth Rattray.

A freakish tangle of horses and equipment on the first corner saw the event abandoned leaving 12 disappointed junior drivers and organisers.

The $25,000 M0 race has been re-scheduled for the Fremantle Harness Racing Club’s 9th May meeting as a special 11th race that night and both Rattray and Towers will be returning to Perth for the special event.

The visitors will be joined in the ballot for drives by the leading ten WA Drivers in the 2008 Rising Stars series held in February this year.

Those ten drivers are Michael George, Kody Charles, Adam Mellsop, Jamie Rigoli, Justin Prentice, David Young, Morgan Woodley, Emma Perie-Dillon, Tom Buchanan, and Kade Howson.

In the event of one of the ten being unavailable a ballot will be conducted among the six drivers who finished in equal 11th place at the conclusion of the Rising Stars Series.

SKY Channel will cover the additional race at 5:20pm and the Rising Stars Invitation Stakes will be the support race to the $45,000 Group 3 SONYCENTRAL CHAMPAGNE CLASSIC for the State’s best two year olds.

Alan Parker
Assistant Manager Harness Racing