By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – 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 favorite 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.
SEVENTH HEAVEN: 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.
A LITTLE MORE: 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 favorite 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. … All-source handle totaled
$2,846,303. … Racing resumes Saturday at 6:20 p.m.
