Five weeks after a six-win performance over Breeders Crown weekend at The Meadowlands, driver Dexter Dunn once again showed why he's won four of the last five U.S. Driver of the Year titles by capturing five major stakes events as The Big M hosted the Fall Final Four and FanDuel Championship finals on Saturday, Nov. 30.
Dunn kicked off the night with a victory in the FanDuel Open Mare Trot with Nelsonbriteagle NO, added the Three Diamonds courtesy Miki And Minnie, swept the FanDuel Open Mare events with the presumptive U.S. Horse of the Year Twin B Joe Fresh, found the winner's circle for the fourth time thanks to Governor's Cup conqueror Captain Optimistic, and concluded the evening with Abuckabett Hanover's score in the FanDuel Open Pace.
Here are the full recaps and replays of all the stakes events.
Twin B Joe Fresh Repeats In FanDuel Distaff
Chris Ryder entered the 2024 season with high expectations for Twin B Joe Fresh. After watching his four-year-old mare close out her campaign Saturday (Nov. 30) with a win in the $211,268 FanDuel Championship for female pacers at the Meadowlands, the trainer acknowledged that harness racing’s No. 1-ranked horse had met them all.
Twin B Joe Fresh, who last year became the first three-year-old filly to beat the mares in the FanDuel Championship, on Saturday became the event’s first two-time winner when she defeated My Girl EJ and Todd McCarthy by 2-3/4 lengths in 1:49.1 at the Big M. Valar Dohaeris was third for Andy Miller.
The victory was Twin B Joe Fresh’s 11th in 13 starts this year, with her setbacks both being second-place finishes, in a conditioned race against male rivals to open her campaign and in her elimination of the Breeders Crown last month at The Meadowlands. She came back a week later to win the Breeders Crown final, one of 10 Grand Circuit victories for the daughter of Roll With Joe-Fresh Breeze this season.
When asked what kind of year he expected for Twin B Joe Fresh, Ryder responded, “Just like this, to be honest.
“She had a great year last year, she finished off last year winning this race as a three-year-old against the aged horses, so the expectations were high. She’s filled them out.”
In the FanDuel Championship, My Girl EJ, one of two three-year-olds in the race, led the field to the opening quarter in :27 and remained in front through a half in :54.2 and three-quarters in 1:21.4.
Twin B Joe Fresh and driver Dexter Dunn were fourth at that point but had picked up cover from the first-over Grace Hill (Jason Bartlett) while pacing around the final turn. Dunn angled Twin B Joe Fresh three-wide entering the stretch and came home with a :27 final quarter to secure the win.
“Grace Hill and My Girl EJ deserved a lot of respect, they’ve done a lot, but we got there,” Ryder said. “(Twin B Joe Fresh) has just got a good set of lungs, she’s got high speed, and she’s gotten stronger as she got older. She can pace home strong. That’s her forte.”
Twin B Joe Fresh is owned by Ryder, Dunn, Peter Trebotica and Barry Spak. She was bred by Brittany Farms.
For her career, Twin B Joe Fresh has won 30 of 40 races, hit the board eight additional times, and earned $2,686,716 (with more than $1.2 million this year).
Ryder said Twin B Joe Fresh would return to race in 2025.
“We expect to race her next year, absolutely,” said Ryder, who was elected to the Harness Racing Hall of Fame earlier this year. “We’re sure we will, as long as she’s healthy.
“What can I say? We’ve got to try to do the same again (next year). That’s a big task, but we’re going to give it a shot.”
Twin B Joe Fresh has been the No. 1-ranked horse in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll for 20 consecutive weeks.
“It’s been a real thrill,” Ryder said about the mare’s season. “Thank you so much to the media and all the fans. Everyone has had nothing but great things to say about her and, believe me, it’s definitely appreciated.”
As the overwhelming 1-20 favourite, Twin B Joe Fresh paid $2.10 to win.
Logan Park Goes Yard For FanDuel Open Trot Upset
Pylon-starter Logan Park hustled to the lead and, at odds of 11-1, rejected 1-9 favourite and retiree Winners Bet to claim the crown in the $457,746 FanDuel Open Trot Championship at The Meadowlands on Saturday night.
Driver Doug McNair scurried Logan Park to the front entering the first turn and carried the field by the quarter in :27.2. Logan Park coasted up the backside to sneak a breather into a :56.2 half, while challengers promptly encroached through the slowed tempo heading to the final turn.
Winners Bet, positioned fourth for driver Dexter Dunn before lunging to a first-over push, attacked Logan Park into the final turn. The two came snout to snout by three-quarters in 1:24.3 and stayed in lockstep spinning for home as Logan Park refused to cave to Winners Bet’s bid. Logan Park swelled from the challenge and Winners Bet wavered into the final eighth, losing ground to his foe who steamed over the line to a 2-1/4-length win in 1:51.2. Periculum (Scott Zeron) zipped through a seam at the pylons off a ground-saving trip to snag second from a weary Winners Bet while Oh Well (Todd McCarthy) sat a pocket trip for fourth.
“He’s been a great horse for the last couple of years,” Doug McNair said after the race. “Rob [Fellows] took his hopples off three-parts of the way through the year and I think that really stepped him up another notch. We had the 10 hole in the Breeders Crown, but he was great tonight. He rates himself so easy – he puts his ears up when he makes the front and just waits for them to come and does exactly what he has to do.”
A six-year-old gelding by Archangel out of the Muscle Mass mare Rite Outa The Park, Logan Park has now won 36 times from 83 starts and earned double millionaire status with the victory, sporting $2,009,432 for owners Outofthepark Stable, Reg Higgs and Arpad Szabo. Rob Fellows trains Logan Park, who paid $24 to win.
Abuckabett Hanover Reels In Ruthless Hanover Again For FanDuel Championship
Abuckabett Hanover and driver Dexter Dunn got a pocket trip behind pacesetter Ruthless Hanover before moving to the outside off the last turn and surging through the stretch to win the $457,746 FanDuel Open Pace Championship by 3-1/2 lengths in 1:48.1 on Saturday (Nov. 30) at the Meadowlands. Ruthless Hanover held for second and Seven Colors (Jason Bartlett) was third.
Ruthless Hanover and driver George Napolitano Jr. left quickly from post 10 to get the lead midway around the first turn. From there, Ruthless Hanover reached the quarter in :26.2, half in :54.2, and three-quarters in 1:21.2. He was unable to fend off Abuckabett Hanover, though, who came home in :26.3 as the 4-5 favourite for trainer Andrew Harris.
“It was perfect,” said Dunn. “(Abuckabett Hanover) got out of the gate super, and once I saw Ruthless coming across, I thought that was the perfect helmet to follow. He took us right into the lane and he put up a good fight, but 'Bucky' was just so sharp tonight.
“Once you pull him off a helmet, he really explodes. Andrew has done a great job to keep him up all year. There are no easy miles for these open pacers, so they’ve got to be good to sustain a good effort all year.”
Abuckabett Hanover has won seven of 15 races this season and earned $1.14 million, pushing his lifetime purses to more than $2.4 million.
“He’s grown up a lot, I think, from his earlier days,” Dunn said. “I wasn’t driving him, but I raced against him, and he had some quirks. But he’s really grown up and he’s just so fast.”
A six-year-old stallion, Abuckabett Hanover is owned by Bill Pollock, Bruce Areman and Harris. That trio also won the $447,000 Valley Victory Stakes for two-year-old male trotters with Monserrate earlier in the night.
“For my career, this is the greatest night I’ve ever had,” said Harris, who also saw My Girl EJ finish second in the FanDuel Mare Pace Championship; Voguish finish second in the Goldsmith Maid, for two-year-old female trotters; and Seven Colors finish third in the FanDuel Open Pace.
The partnership of Pollock, Areman and Harris began in June 2023 with the purchase of Abuckabett Hanover. The group has built a sizeable stakes stable since then.
“He was the first one,” Harris said. “I’m so thrilled with this horse; he’s closed out the year awesome. I can’t thank them enough for the opportunity. It’s just been a dream ride.
“I can’t thank these guys enough for supporting me. I love them, they’re amazing, and I just couldn’t be happier.”
Abuckabett Hanover, a son of Betting Line-All Tucked Up who has won 22 of 74 lifetime starts, was bred by Hanover Shoe Farms. He paid $3.80 to win.
Nelsonbriteagle NO Destroys FanDuel Mares In Stakes Record
With a strong start against five other trotters, Dexter Dunn guided Nelsonbriteagle NO to the front and wafted through four quarters atop the field to win the $211,268 FanDuel Mare Trot Championship in a stakes-record 1:49.4 on a frigid Saturday night at The Meadowlands.
Just behind Nelsonbriteagle NO the compact field presented the hot 3-year-old Allegiant (Scott Zeron), who was well backed by the crowd as the 5-2 third choice off a Breeders Crown win and a Matron victory. M Ms Dream (David Miller) chased comfortably in third as the other sophomore, R Melina, galloped for Todd McCarthy and eliminated herself from competition. Warrawee Xenia (Jason Bartlett) rolled along next while 9-5 favourite Call Me Goo (Ake Svanstedt) took back to last.
Nelsonbriteagle NO tapped the first panel in :27.2 as Call Me Goo, the stunning Breeders Crown Mare Trot victor over a month ago, took steps out of last with a first-over bid after her stablemate. Nelsonbriteagle NO travelled strongly to the half in :55 and continued on the muscle through the turn. Allegiant made a gallant challenge out of the pocket moving to three-quarters in 1:22.2, but Nelsonbriteagle NO easily thwarted the sophomore’s challenge turning for home. Nelsonbriteagle NO stormed to the line in a league of her own, piercing the beam 2-1/2 lengths in front of Allegiant in second. Warrawee Xenia split rivals for third and Call Me Goo levelled off for fourth.
"She was good behind the gate," Dunn said, hoping Nelsonbriteagle NO on the engine would avoid some of the trouble that cost her the last two races at The Meadowlands and The Red Mile. "She was so good that last quarter. She liked the front," he said, "and [finishing] in [1]:49.4 is not easy in any kind of weather for a trotter."
The 1:49.4 mile by Nelsonbriteagle NO eclipsed the previous stakes record of 1:51.4 matched four times since Hannelore Hanover set the mark in 2016.
Nelsonbriteagle NO is a six-year-old daughter of Bold Eagle, out of the Dream Vacation mare Lindys Holiday, and is trained by Ake Svanstedt, who co-owns her with breeder Nils Johan Munkhaugen. She has now earned $479,008 after winning for the 14th time in her career.
Sent off as the second choice in the betting, Nelsonbriteagle NO paid $5.60 to win.
Miki And Minnie Motors To Equal Three Diamonds Stakes Record
Breeders Crown champ Miki And Minnie sat poised off tumultuous speed and thrusted forward from a helmet in the stretch to win the $476,338 Three Diamonds final, for two-year-old pacing fillies, at The Meadowlands on Saturday night.
Leaving from post two, Miki And Minnie settled into fifth off a :26.3 scorcher uncorked by Chakra (Anibal Borjas) charging out of post eight for the lead. Chakra refused to relinquish control up the backstretch, parking Faze (Tim Tetrick) until that challenger regressed through the field by a :54 half. All the while driver Dexter Dunn fished cover from Rodeo Drive Deo (David Miller) out of fourth and found a tow with a three-wide swoop to the far turn.
Dunn tucked behind Rodeo Drive Deo going to three-quarters in 1:21.4 and swung back outside for a stretch-drive assault. Miki And Minnie vaulted by Rodeo Drive Deo entering the final eighth and scooted away to a 1-1/2-length win in 1:49.2, equaling the stakes record established in 2019 by JK First Lady. Rodeo Drive Deo settled for second with Shes A Streaker (Gingras) chasing in third and Lyons Benz (Corey Callahan) snagging fourth.
“She’s terrific,” trainer Chris Ryder said after the race. “She’s done everything we’ve asked of her and [this is] a great way to finish off the year. Looks like the 2-year-old of the year, eh? You can’t be the best unless you beat the best – they’ve thrown a lot at her and she’s come out on top in the three big races. I’m just honored to have her; she’s a lovely filly.”
Miki And Minnie, a homebred daughter of Always B Miki from the Roll With Joe mare That’s The Ticket, has now won six races from 11 starts and banked $1,150,489 for owners Craig Henderson, Robert Mondillo and Lawrence Minowitz.
Sent postward as the 4-5 favourite, Miki And Minnie paid $3.60 to win.
Captain Optimistic Makes It Happen In Governor's Cup
Following a third-place finish in the Metro Pace and a fourth-place effort in the Breeders Crown, Captain Optimistic put it all together with a powerful two-move mile to win the $538,310 Governor's Cup, for two-year-old male pacers, on Saturday at the Meadowlands.
After being looped on the first turn by 50-1 long shot Papis Rocket (driven by George Brennan), Captain Optimistic and driver Dexter Dunn forged to the front at the end of a :27.2 first quarter before stringing out Papis Pistol (Andy Miller) to the :54.3 half-mile juncture. Only a few strides after releasing Papis Pistol, Captain Optimistic angled out of the pocket to ensure clear sailing for the final three-eighths of the mile. The Captaintreacherous-Cinamony colt ground forward at the flank of Papis Pistol to three-quarters in 1:22.2 and asserted to reclaim the lead off the turn for home.
"Dex had to use him hard two times in the race," said trainer Nancy Takter, adding that the colt "covers a lot of ground."
Off the corner, Captain Optimistic sprinted clear while driven out by Dunn before being taken in hand for the final 100 yards of his four-length, 1:49.3 win. Swingtown (Yannick Gingras) sustained a two-wide advance from midfield to take second; Papis Rocket finished third.
"He's had a really good season; he won the New Jersey Classic here," continued Takter. "He's continued to improve. We had some trouble getting him to steer properly, but today was the best he's steered. Hopefully that carries over to 2025."
Captain Optimistic, a seven-time winner from 11 starts, has earned $628,529 this season for 3 Brothers Stables, Marvin Katz and Caviart Farms. As the 4-5 favourite, he paid $3.80 to win.
Monserrate Stalks, Surges In Valley Victory
Three weeks after his runner-up finish to Breeders Crown champion Maryland in the Kindergarten Series final, Monserrate pounced late and recorded a lifetime-best 1:52.1 win in the $629,577 Valley Victory, for two-year-old male trotters, on Saturday at the Meadowlands.
Monserrate was one of five horses vying for early control on approach to the first turn, but David Miller took him just off the pace as Go Dog Go (driven by Todd McCarthy) forged to the front at the end of a :28 first quarter, only to yield to Super Chapter (Dexter Dunn) on the backstretch. As 7-5 favourite Super Chapter accelerated to a :55.4 half, Monserrate stalked from fourth before angling first-over to begin his six-length ascent on the far turn.
Nearing the top of the stretch, Go Dog Go pulled the pocket and took aim at Super Chapter past three-quarters in 1:24.1, and their protracted duel in the lane forced Miller to swing three-wide with Monserrate, who worked into a clear third off the home turn. The Chapter Seven-Guinevere Hall colt continued to lift late and surged in the final yards to collar Super Chapter by a widening half length. Go Dog Go finished third.
"When he started battling Maryland (in the Nov. 9 Kindergarten final), I couldn't believe that he was hanging with this amazing animal," said Bruce Areman, who shares ownership of Monserrate with William Pollock and trainer Andrew Harris, of the colt's tenacity. "Dave (Miller) said to me tonight that he's a really game animal, he really wants to win. It's hard to teach that. He likes a target and he wants to come after you, and that's what he did."
Monserrate, whose 1:52.1 clocking also equaled the stakes record set by Karl one year ago, is now a four-time winner with $464,156 in the bank from 13 starts. As the 3-1 third choice, he paid $8.40 to win.
What A Drive And What An Effort For Goldsmith Maid Winner What A Bid Hanover
What A Bid Hanover stormed home mid-stretch and down the centre of the track to win the $640,845 Goldsmith Maid, for two-year-old trotting fillies, at The Meadowlands on Saturday.
Trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt was in no rush off the gate with What A Bid Hanover while longshots Spicy Nice (Gingras), Panacea Hanover (Rikard Skoglund) and R Dutchess (Corey Callahan) shuffled through the first turn for the top spots. R Dutchess broke stride into a :27.3 first quarter, leaving Spicy Nice to lead until she was overtaken from a first-over charge by Luna Lovegood (Dunn). Spicy Nice then jumped to a gallop from the pocket before a :56.1 half while Luna Lovegood coasted for the far turn.
Luna Lovegood held a healthy lead passing three-quarters in 1:24.3 but drifted wide off the final turn and started to feel the pressure looming. Voguish (Todd McCarthy) mounted a serious charge down the centre of the track with Sound Judgement weaving through traffic to the inside, all while Svanstedt came soaring from the back with What A Bid Hanover. Ake Svanstedt urged What A Bid Hanover to take advantage of the erratic field with a cannonball close and nailed the win by a nose in 1:53.3. Voguish settled for second, Luna Lovegood took third in the three-way photo and Sound Judgement (David Miller) finished fourth.
What A Bid Hanover survived a judge's inquiry (for briefly hooking wheels with Voguish in the stretch) and carved a fifth of a second off her personal-best mile to notch her third win in seven starts.
"She started good training in Florida," said Sarah Svanstedt after the race, "then she got sore and had some muscle problems. She's a nice horse but we had to take our time with her." Still, Sarah insisted, "She is one hundred percent racehorse."
Svanstedt owns What A Bid Hanover, through his Ake Svanstedt Inc., with S R F Stable. She is a daughter of champion Muscle Hill out of the Donato Hanover mare What A Knockout and has now earned $417,220.
Sent off as the slight favourite at 7-5, What A Bid Hanover returned $4.80 to win.
NOTES: If it wasn’t already locked up, Dexter Dunn’s five-winner night will no doubt give the 35-year-old New Zealand native a fifth Dan Patch Driver of the Year trophy in the last six years. … Jeff Cullipher, Ake Svanstedt, Chris Ryder and Andrew Harris tied atop the trainer leaderboard with two victories apiece. … A carryover of $4,810 motivated players to pump just over $42,000 of “new money” into the 20-cent Pick-6 pool. Those with winning tickets divided up the total pot of $47,210 by collecting $837.36. … All-source handle totaled $3,324,178 on the 14-race program, the biggest night of action since October 26 when over $4.3 million was put in play on Breeders Crown Finals Night II. … The live harness racing schedule will be a tad different for the next two weeks, as live action will be conducted on a Thursday-Saturday basis with the usual first-race post time of 6:20 p.m.
(with files from The Meadowlands)