Dexter Dunn was on fire Friday night at The Meadowlands, guiding seven winners on the card to come within one of tying the all-time track record.
With the first race being a GSY Series event for amateur drivers, Dunn had work in all 13 races that remained. His first win of the night came in the second race with Always A Force (as the 7-2 third choice in the betting) before completing a natural hat trick by taking the third and fourth, respectively, with even-money choice May I Cruise West and 3-5 favourite Southwind Frost.
Did you think you were going to have a big night?
“I don’t really think like that,” said Dunn, the two-time defending United States Harness Writers Association Driver of the Year. “But I sort of thought I had some good chances later on the card.”
The native New Zealander ran his win total to five after Caviart Lotus exploded home to take the sixth as the even-money choice before Think Of Galaxies went wire-to-wire as the 5-2 second choice, holding on by a nose in the seventh.
Dunn upped his victory total to a half-dozen in the 10th after taking the featured high-end conditioned trot with Chaptiama, who won from first-over as the second most popular wagering entity at odds of 2-1, then came right back in the next race to score win No. 7 from post 10 with 1-2 public choice Stonebridge Soul.
“Chaptiama was awesome,” said Dunn. “A really nice horse to drive. He has a good attitude. He does what you want him to do. He couldn’t have done it any easier.
“I knew I had seven winners [after Stonebridge Soul won], but only after Jessica [Otten of The Big M] told me.”
The 31-year-old pilot was now just one winner away from tying the all-time Big M mark of eight winners on a card – a record shared by Mike Lachance and Brett Miller – but his big night would end there.
He had two good chances to possibly tie – and break – the record but went a tough parked-out trip with The Devils Own N (who finished fourth in the ninth at 4-5) and went off stride down the backstretch with Stirling Ensign (the 3-1 second choice) in the 14th and final.
“Stirling Ensign didn’t feel good on the first turn,” said Dunn.
Maybe so, but Dunn’s fans certainly did on this night.
The last Meadowlands driver to record seven winners on a card – not surprisingly – was Dunn, who turned the trick on January 11th of last year. The Big M’s leading driver, who won six races on a card earlier this year (on Feb. 13), is the current driver-colony leader with 94 victories in 2021.
Tim Tetrick drove three winners on the card, including the Marcus Melander-trained Hambletonian hopeful Dancinginthedark M, who toyed with his foes as the 1-5 favourite while upping his seasonal record to two wins in two starts. The son of Readly Express stopped the clock in a lifetime-best 1:52.1.
(Meadowlands)