Layne delivers on a promise

Last month Graham Dwyer handed the reins of responsibility to his son Layne.

The Brisbane based former panel beater come harness racing trainer entrusted the best horse he has trained Not As Promised (Betting Line) with the 16-year-old who has chalked up 30 wins since securing his driver’s licence six months ago.

Dwyer was under no illusion that the trek south to bunk in with family friend Denis Grieve and contest the Victoria Trotters Derby was little more than an ‘ambitious throw at the stumps’.

“If he made the final and finished in the top five then we would enjoy the day and the whole experience,” Dwyer said.

A fourth in his heat behind The Locomotive had both father and son scratching their heads after Not As Promised appeared slightly wayward in transit.

“Nathan (Dawson) said he wouldn’t steer properly in the heat so we had to tweak a couple of things,” he said.

“And it was up Layne to put into practice what we discussed on the phone.

Then I got a call from Llayne who was pretty sure the problem was fixed and he was steering much better.”

A week later Layne’s confidence was vindicated when Not As Promised outpointed the best three-year-old trotters in the land taking out the Derby and giving Dwyer the second Group 1 success of his career.

“I was just so proud of Layne,” he said.

A $40,000 purchase from the Jess Tubbs stable, Not As Promised initially had Dwyer questioning the prudence of his decision to acquire the pacing bred trotter.

“He wouldn’t go and was just awful,” Dwyer said.

“So we worked on his mind and just sat him in behind other horses and not pull out,” he said.

One day Dwyer glanced disbelievingly at his stop watch.

“He was working behind a pacer who ran home his last half in 55 and the trotter was hard up on his back under a hold,” he said.

“And since then he has been a surprise packet.”

Not As Promised is unbeaten in all five starts at Albion Park and in an ominous warning to his rivals Dwyer believes there is significant upside to the son of Betting Line.

“We’re pretty excited because we know he can run but we think he is capable of switching on more in his races yet,” he said.

“He really has untapped speed.”

A professional trainer for the past 10 years, Dwyer works a team of 30 horses at his North MacLean property.

by John Dunne, for Harnesslink