Star Queensland trotter confirmed for NZ slot race

By Jordan Gerrans

With a position confirmed in a big-time New Zealand slot race, Queensland trainer Graham Dwyer believes his family’s decades of effort in harness racing are starting to feel worth it.

The Dwyer stable came to an agreement with Dunstan Horse Feeds late on Tuesday to fill their slot for the $NZ 600,000 Trot at Cambridge’s Night of Champions on April 4 with boom Sunshine State square gaiter Not As Promised.

The two-time Group 1 champion trotter will represent Queensland across the ditch alongside superstar pacer Leap To Fame, who is making his way across for the $NZ 1 million Race.

Now a five-year-old, Not As Promised has won on six occasions so far this year from eight attempts at Albion Park.

Not As Promised continued on his winning ways after overcoming a 20-metre handicap to take his career record to an impressive 15 from 24 on Saturday night.

A total of 11 of those victories have been at Albion Park from just 13 appearances.

With the Queensland Constellations on the horizon in the middle of the year, the Dwyer team were keen to test their star trotter at the highest level while he was racing so well.

So, the Kiwi slot race fits in perfectly to their program.

“This is what we have worked for over all those years,” Dwyer said.

“We have battled away over the years and now to be in a race like this – it is so good. This is what we work for.

"We have been waiting for our chance and hopefully he can go over and perform well."

The former Australian three-year-old trotter of the year was set to race this coming Saturday at Albion Park but was scratched ahead of his trip away. 

Dunstan Horse Feeds secured the eighth and final harness racing slot for the event.  

The son of Betting Line does have experience racing across the ditch already. 

He finished fourth behind Sunnys Sister in the 2023 Group 1 New Zealand Trotting Derby at Addington. 

Not As Promised scored at the highest level at Maryborough in the Victoria Trotters Derby Final as well as the Group 1 Breeders Crown Series Final for 3YO colts and geldings at Melton in 2023.

But, he did not race from December of 2023 until January of 2025 because of injury.

While it was tough to see such a high-class horse be away from the races, the 50-year-old Dwyer says it is all worth it in the long-run.

“It is hard when you put a horse like him on the backburner but the horse has always got to come first,” Dwyer said.

“That is pretty much how we looked at it.

“The time, I thought, would always help him, which it has.”

Following his win on Saturday evening at Albion Park, there is no rest for Not As Promised as he is on the way to Sydney this week to fly to New Zealand.

He will tackle a mile race on the 28^th of this month across the ditch before backing up in the main event seven days later.

The North Maclean-based Dwyer says there are other options for Not As Promised at Auckland following the slot race but will make decisions on those down the line.

Champion Queensland reinsman Nathan Dawson has been Not As Promised’s main driver throughout his career and he will stick with him for the new adventure.

Dawson also drove the trotter at Addington at the end of 2023.

“It will be good for Nathan,” Dwyer said.

Australian horses filled the first four placings last year in the Trot.

After finishing second in the recent Miracle Mile, Leap To Fame will have a hit-out on Saturday evening at Albion Park before heading to NZ.

Queensland’s pin-up pacer Leap To Fame has had two attempts to race in NZ halted earlier in his career and he will finally make the trip across.

Leap To Fame’s trainer and driver Grant Dixon said his brave second to Don Hugo the Miracle Mile at Menangle took it out of the champion standardbred.

“I don’t know whether it was the combination of the travel and sitting parked, but he lost a bit of weight and knew he’d had a run,” Dixon said. 

“That’s why we wanted to get him back home where he thrives, rather than go to NZ early as we had talked about.

“He seems great again now and this race suits really well.

"We didn’t want to go a month between races.”