Catch up on the week's harness racing action in our weekly review, thanks to Darren Clayton.
THE GOOD
After claiming Group 1 glory in the Victorian Trotters Derby three weeks ago, the Graham Dwyer-trained Not As Promised has continued his rise with victory in Saturday's Australasian Breeders Crown Three-Year-Old Colts and Geldings Trotting Final.
With Nathan Dawson making the trip to Melton to partner the gelding, there was no repeat of the triple figure odds from his Derby win on offer, the Betting Line gelding starting as the favourite from barrier five.
Allowed to balance early before being sent forward, Dawson took control of the race with Not As Promised and made the opposition chase.
The Locomotive was sent forward to sit parked and after a steady opening half, when the pace increased through the third quarter, Not As Promised, The Locomotive and Watts Up Partytime which was in the trail had pulled clear of the rest of the field.
As they swung the home bend, The Locomotive was starting to feel the pressure and Dawson went to work on the Derby Champion, and he responded, pulling clear to score a strong victory with over eight metres to spare on the line.
The win was the first in a Breeders Crown Final by a Queensland-trained horse since Tip Your Hat and Fleur De Lil both won their respective three-year-old pacing divisions in 2007.
Starting the 2023 season still chasing his first Group 1 triumph, Dwyer has now won three at the elite level this season with the Derby and Breeders Crown's secured by Not As Promised added to the QBRED Triad victory that Quik Change secured at Albion Park in August.
For Layne Dwyer, the rise has been just as meteoric.
Turning 16 and gaining his licence to drive in races back in April, Layne has overseen the Victorian campaign of Not As Promised.
After the race on Saturday, Layne was equal parts excited and relieved with the victory.
“It’s been a very good few weeks but there’s a lot of pressure and I’m just so glad to get it over and done with, we got the job done, which is the main thing,” Layne said.
“New Zealand is next week and hopefully we can get the same thing done there.”
That New Zealand trip will be to target the New Zealand Trotters Derby and the Dwyers take a horse at the top of his game and in winning form, the three-year-old the winner of eight starts from nine attempts since joining their stable.
The 'Kingslodge operation' of the Dwyer camp was also able to secure a two-state double on Saturday night, with Despondent winning at Albion Park.
THE BAD
Trainer Mark Dux took four horses to Albion Park last Friday and on paper looked a strong chance that all four would be featuring in the finish.
With Sweetnspicy stepping out in the opening race of the day, the three-year-old maiden filly threw her chances away when making breaking gait in the run, finishing a distant last.
Hopes were high for Yankee C J and the nine-year-old was sent out as the favourite in race five where he was forced to sit parked and after the tough trip, finished in third place.
However, sitting either side of these performances, the stable was able to strike back with a pair of victories to Shez All Style and Lulu Mae.
Shez All Style worked forward from gate six to sit parked and despite the tough trip, driver Mathew Neilson was able to extract the best from the six-year-old to prevail with one metre to spare over the fast-finishing Braeview Fella.
The win was the 13th career victory for Shez All Style, 11 of those for Dux, all of them coming at Albion Park.
Lulu Mae arrived in the Dux stable in May this year as the winner of two races.
Going winless in her first 14 starts for the stable, the mare had managed to finish as the runner-up on four occasions and was sent for a spell.
Resuming on November 10 with a strong win, she was placed at her next start before lining up on Friday from barrier five third-up.
With Nathan Dawson taking the reins, the four-year-old was sent forward to sit outside the leader Music Moth after an opening quarter in a sizzling 26.2 seconds.
With a second split in 31.1 seconds followed by a 28.4 second third split, the power went on again and Lulu Mae was in for the fight, able to out stay Music Moth in a sizzling 26.2 second closing panel.
The overall mile rate of 1.52.3 lifted the daughter of Sweet Lou into the Australian-bred top five of fastest female progeny of the super sire.
With Friday’s double and a win earlier in the week by Captain Nemo, Mark Dux is on track to replicate his consistency of the past dozen seasons, sitting on 32 wins for the term but already claiming his highest stakes in a season since the 2004-05 season.
THE MILESTONE
While the Dixon stable will have one eye firmly on the upcoming Inter Dominion campaign with the series favourite Leap To Fame, another milestone was reached on Saturday night.
The win of Delta Three gave Grant Dixon his 200th training win for the season, continuing the massive number of winners that have been produced from his Tamborine property after relocating there over 15 years ago.
Taking over the huge operation of his father in the 2011-12 season, the 161 wins secured in 2022 is the only time the stable has prepared less than 200 winners in a season.
With a best season recorded in 2018-19 when preparing 340 winners, Dixon produced 380 in the extended season of 2019-20, which was made up of 290 in the 12 months to September and a further 90 in the four months September through December.
Currently sitting third in the national trainers premiership behind Ben Yole and Emma Stewart, the numbers might prove to be inconsequential if an Inter Dominion trophy can be secured on the home deck.
Making no secret of the fact that Leap To Fame is the best horse he has ever trained, the millionaire pacer will have the opportunity to give Dixon his first Inter Dominion victory when the series begins later this week.
The Dixon stable will be represented by Zealous Spur in the trotters series, while joining Leap To Fame in the pacers will be Tims A Trooper and depending on where the final acceptances finish, Miracle Moose.
WILDCARD
Deep Regret was the latest winner for Changeover, breaking maiden ranks at Redcliffe on Thursday when leading throughout for owner, trainer and driver, John Stariha.
A graduate of the Redcliffe Yearling Sales, Deep Regret was bred by Jonathan and Megan Denning out the ten-win mare Rocknroll Annie, with Stariha going to $16,000 to secure the son of Changeover.
Making full use of barrier one, Stariha had the gelding in front and running even sections in front, was able to grip on to claim a narrow victory over the odds-on favourite Make It Rain for Ben Crosby and Nathan Dawson.
Changeover has produced six individual two-year-old winners this season, including the Triad winner Quik Change, to sit third on the Queensland two-year-old sires premiership.
Overall, the Queensland-based sire sits sixth on the lading sire premiership with 81 wins for the season.
For the 82-year-old Stariha, he is one win away from equalling his best season in the sulky this century.
Currently on nine wins for the term, the octogenarian’s best season in the bike since the turn of the century was the 2001-02 season where he reined home 10 winners.
It has been a big campaign for the veteran, with his 124 starters for the season, the only time he has surpassed 100 drives for a season this century, his previous highest tally’s being 95 in 2021 and 89 in 2003-04.
THIS WEEK
Harness racing in Queensland is in for a big week, with seven straight days of racing starting with a Monday night meeting from Redcliffe.
Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon meetings will also be held at 'The Triangle' with Albion Park hosting three meetings on Tuesday afternoon and Friday and Saturday night's.
The highlight of the week will be the start of the 2023 Inter Dominion which will commence on Friday night with the first round of heats for both the pacers and trotters.
The distance for the first round is 1660 metres, with four heats for the pacers - fields of nine - and three for the trotters – fields of eight.
Marburg rounds out the week with a Sunday afternoon fixture where a heat of the Inter Regional Championship for the Western Region will be held.
The $31,000 Final will be held on Inter Dominion Final night, December 16.
