By all measures of success, it has been a phenomenal year for driver Dexter Dunn. While 2020 has been different for many reasons, for Dunn, who has seen his UDRS rating climb from a respectable .280 in 2019 to .350 this year, wins have come more frequently, and purses have been greater. Heading into this weekend's Breeders Crown at Harrah's Hoosier Park, Dunn finds himself in a solid position and may have favorites in half of the dozen championship events that will take place on Friday and Saturday nights. "I've been very fortunate to drive some great horses," said Dunn with his typical modesty. "I was very pleased with how most of them raced coming into this week." It's that "trip over the track" that could make all the difference for every horse trying to capture a Breeders Crown title. For Dunn, who captured two Breeders Crowns last year, he enters the championships hoping that both Amigo Volo, who captured the juvenile male trot in 2019 at Woodbine Mohawk Park, and Manchego (Open Mare Trot), will rise to the occasion once again. "Amigo Volo has been good all year," said Dunn of the Nifty Norman-trained gelding that followed up a Kentucky Futurity victory with a blazing 1:51 2/5 winning mile in one of two eliminations last week for the $500,000 final (race 11) on Saturday night. A winner in seven of 13 trips this year, Amigo Volo starts from post two looking to capture a second Crown title. Manchego, at the end of 2019, looked to be ready to take on all comers in 2020, with even some mention of racing in Europe this year. Those plans didn't quite work out for varied reasons and the brilliant daughter of Muscle Hill enters Saturday's $300,000 (race 8) Open Mare Trot event surprisingly with less wins than losses. Nevertheless, Dunn was more than encouraged with how the Nancy Takter-trained mare raced last week. "She was much more relaxed and easier to drive," said Dunn. "I think she came a last quarter in 25 1/5." Indeed the 5-year-old would seem primed for a repeat Crown victory. She drew post seven in a field of eight. Dunn hopes he can give a first Breeders Crown victory to the unbeaten filly Party Girl Hill (post 2), who goes in the $500,000 Crown for sophomore pacing fillies, the tenth race on Saturday's card. "She's a smart horse that has gotten smarter with each start," said Dunn of the poise Party Girl Hill has shown whether being forced to go slow or being asked to go at extremely high speed. "She was so relaxed going that second quarter last week." As has been the case throughout her 14 consecutive victories without defeat, Party Girl Hill kicked it into another gear in the stretch and easily took her elimination in a 1:50 1/5 clocking. For Dunn the elimination accomplished two objectives. First it gave Party Girl Hill a good post for the final, but more importantly it gave him a chance to race her from off the pace. "She's been so many miles on the front end. I just wanted her to follow last week," said Dunn. Dunn drives Party Girl Hill for trainer Chris Ryder, who also trains Bettor's Wish, a 4-year-old that he'll look to work out a winning trip for in the final Breeders Crown race on Saturday, the $500,000 event for Open Pacers. "I'm very happy with the way he's raced these last few weeks," said Dunn of the son of Bettor's Delight who has strung together three straight wins after a disappointing effort in the Canadian Pacing Derby. Bettor's Wish drew post nine in the field of 10 making Dunn's job more difficult. "It will be a challenge against a group of top horses like that," said Dunn of the imposition. "But he's overcome the outside before and I think he can again," Dunn said. Kissin In The Sand, the probable favorite for the $300,000 Crown Open Mares Pace (race 12), has had her share of drivers over an illustrious career, with Dunn steering in her last two starts of 2019 and then returning to guide her to three straight stakes wins this October, including a 1:48 blowout in the Allerage at The Red Mile on October 11. "She's been impressive in every one of those starts," said Dunn. "She's just been very strong at the end of all of those miles." Indeed, whether on the front or coming from behind Kissin In The Sand has finished out her miles with an abundance of speed. On Saturday she drew post three for trainer Nancy Takter and will be looking to knock off last year's Breeders Crown champion Caviart Ally (post 4) and 2018 champion Shartin N (post 6). Also in the impressive group will be the two-time Breeders Crown champion Warrawee Ubeaut (post 5). Dunn will complete his Saturday night Crown card of contenders with No Lou Zing (post 6) in the $500,000 Breeders Crown 3-year-old colt and gelding pace carded as race 13. "I'm very happy with the way he raced last week," said Dunn. "I was sitting on David's (Miller, Cattlewash) back at the three quarters and I thought I had a chance to beat him," said Dunn. No Lou Zing couldn't catch Cattlewash, who sprinted to a 1:47 2/5 winning mile. "I definitely think we can have a top-five finish with this group." Dunn's charge drew outside of the odds-on favorite Tall Dark Stranger (post 1) as well as the aforementioned Cattlewash (post 3). There will be four Breeders Crown events on Friday night for the 2-year-olds of each gait and sex and Dunn may not have the favorites but still thinks he's got a fighting chance with a pair of mounts. In the $600,000 Crown for juvenile pacing fillies, Fire Start Hanover looks to bounce back after a second-place finish in last week's elimination. "I thought she raced very well," said Dunn. "She hadn't raced in a few weeks and I think 'Nifty' (Norman) will have her better this week." Fire Start Hanover, a daughter of Somebeachsomewhere, was an impressive winner on consecutive weeks at The Red Mile in Grand Circuit action. The outside draw (post 7) won't limit Dunn's options. "She's a versatile filly and you can do what you want," Dunn said. Dunn has been behind Always A Miki from the early days for trainer Nancy Takter and again he'll pilot the son of first-crop sire Always B Miki in the $600,000 Crown for 2-year-old colts and geldings carded as race 14. "He's been good throughout the year," Dunn said. "There were a couple of tough trips that really wasn't his fault." Always A Miki showed solid pace finishing third in last week's elimination heat behind the unbeaten Perfect Sting. "I think this week he's going to need a soft kind of trip and hope to pick up some of the pieces," Dunn said, recognizing that he'll start from post four outside both Perfect Sting (post 2) and the streaking Southwind Gendry. Hoosier Park's Breeders Crown weekend schedule calls for 15 races on both Friday and Saturday with post time at 6:00 p.m. on each night.