Soul Searcher opens the season in style

The 2018 harness racing season started in style on Friday at Corbiewood with fine weather and eight fantastic races on the card.

One of the evening’s feature races was the Standardbred Sales Company - Star Maker Series, Second Leg. Five lower graded horses battled it out with the honours going toStirling-based owner/trainer Charles Inglis’five year-old novice Soul Searcher, who now automatically qualifies for the Star Maker Series Final at Tir-Prince in North Wales on July 14.

The next Star Maker race to be held at Corbiewood will be leg No.4 on Friday, June 1.

Also featuring on Friday was the Handicap Final for open graded horses. Four heats were run with first and second from each heat qualifying for the final.

By the time the final took place, the light was fading fast but Live-In Star (five year-old Grade 3) dazzled the spectators with a fantastic turn of foot down the backstretch to open a distance between himself and the rest of the field to win comfortably for owner Robert Millar (Falkirk), trainer Keir Cullen (Stirling) and driver Grant Cullen (Stirling).

The next meeting at Corbiewood is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday) with first race at 7.30pm. Entry is £11 (under 16s free). Results from Friday, May 18: Race 1: Heat 1. Grade 1 Open Handicap Pace - 1 DK’s Happy Forever; 2 GD’s Hazzard; 3 Share A Smile. Winning trainer/owner David Moncrieff, driver Richard Thomson.

Race 2: Heat 2. Grades 1 and 2 Open Handicap Pace. - 1 Bono; 2 Royal Mint Howard; 3 Cieran’s Star. Winning owner Clair Fletcher, trainer Eck Taylor, driver William Greenhorn.

Race 3: Heat 3. Grades 3 to 5 Open Handicap Pace - 1 Live In Star; 2 Whosurbaby; 3 K and M Redpandana. Winning owner Robert Miller, trainer Keir Cullen and driver Grant Cullen.

Race 4: Heat 4. Grades 5 to 10 Open Handicap Pace -1 Indie Hanover; 2 Porcelain Seelster; 3 Jack Frost. Winning owner Claire Fletcher, trainer Teresa Haythornthwaite, driver Richard Haythornthwaite.

Race 5: Maiden Class Pace - 1 Mahogany Martini; 2 Hawthorn’s Dream; 3 Hawthorn’s Henry. Winning owner Castalongshadow, trainer Hamish Muirhead, driver Gregor Menzies.

Race 6: Maiden and Novice Class Pace - 1 Talavary Terminator; 2 I Live to Party; 3 Busking Boy. Winning owner/trainer Alf Swinbank, driver Richard Haythornthwaite.

Race 7: Star Makers Series Heat 1 - 1 Soul Searcher; 2 Dynaramic; 3 Ceiron JD. Winning owner/trainer Charles Inglis Jnr, driver William Drysdale.

Race 8: Grade 1 to 10 Open Class Final - 1 Live In Star; 2 GD’s Hazzard; 3 DK’s Happy Forever. Winning owner Robert Miller, trainer Keir Cullen and driver Grant Cullen.