Meadowlands: Dunn looking to shine on the Pace undercard

While Dexter Dunn will be guiding one of the favorites in the Meadowlands Pace this Saturday night at The Meadowlands, the talented driver from Down Under has a very impressive schedule in the “under” card on the 13-race program dominated in part by four trotters in key races.

“I’ve driven plenty of trotters. I’d say the split is about 70 percent pacers and 30 percent trotters,” Dunn said of his experience in New Zealand and Australia. “It’s a more advanced group up here.”

That advanced group will include two mares Dunn gets to drive on Saturday night coming into races off sub-1:50 clockings. The imported Darling Mearas S is a 6-year-old that enters the $40,000 Miss Versatility on Saturday night fresh off a career best 1:49 4/5 mile for trainer Ake Svanstedt. With Svanstedt sending out two others in the eight-mare field, Dunn is listed to drive.

“I definitely saw her race last week,” said Dunn, confirming that he knows what he will get to sit behind. As to how he landed the drive. “I saw my name on the sheet.”

Darling Mearas S drew post three in a field that includes two other sub-1:50 trotters in Hannelore Hanover (post 4) and Plunge Blue Chip (post 7).

The $450,000 Hambletonian Maturity carded as race seven is the second richest race on the stakes-laden program and Dunn will again guide Manchego. The 4-year-old daughter of Muscle Hill comes off a fourth-place finish in last week’s Graduate final timed in 1:49 2/5 individually. “She went a great trip. She’s really coming into form,” said Dunn of Manchego. “I had to use her pretty hard early and she trotted through the wire.”

Though Manchego enters the Maturity without a win in 2019, the $1.5 million winning mare has appeared to turn it around with her last two starts and finds a much better spot for success on Saturday having landed post five in the field of 11. The Maturity will go at a mile and one eighths distance. Manchego will start right beside world champion Atlanta, a 1:49 victor last week in the same Graduate final. Atlanta drew post four and comes into the race with an unblemished record in 2019 in six races.

Last year Dunn began his ascension in North America with a victory behind Southwind Avenger in the Valley Victory at The Meadowlands. The pair will get reunited on Saturday in one of two Stanley Dancer divisions for sophomore male trotters.

“He’s a very nice horse,” said Dunn. “He’s been dominant in Ontario and now we will see how he does down here.” The driver of course was a bit apprehensive given that Southwind Avenger drew into a very tough field. “He’s in with Greenshoe,” Dunn said.

Southwind Avenger drew post six inside of Greenshoe (post 7) but outside Pilot Discretion (post 3) and last year’s Peter Haughton champion Don’t Let’em (post 1).

Dunn finds himself in a little more comfortable spot sitting behind the unbeaten sophomore filly trotter Millies Possesion in the second $126,500 division of the Del Miller Memorial, race 11 on the card. A winner in a career best 1:51 1/5 clocking over the Meadowlands strip in a Reynolds division last week, Millies Possesion faces six rivals from post three in the Miller.

“She went a big trip,” Dunn said of the Reynolds victory. “It was a tough trip that could have taken something out of her but when I got her to the stretch she kicked in. She’s a brave filly.”

Millies Possesion looks for her seventh straight victory against a field that includes last year’s Doherty Memorial champion The Ice Dutchess (post 6).

On the pacing side, Dunn will remain with Bettor Joy N, a 5-year-old import by Bettor’s Delight that landed post 11 in the second tier in the $179,550 Golden Girls for pacing mares. The driver had a choice of three in the race. “She’s a very nice mare,” Dunn said. “This distance won’t bother her. If they go a little bit she can finish the mile.”

Dunn guided Bettor Joy N to a second-place finish in this year’s Blue Chip Matchmaker at Yonkers behind stablemate Shartin N, the favorite from post four in the Golden Girls.

While Dunn enjoyed great success on North America Cup night, he’s in a good spot for better luck this Saturday night at The Meadowlands. “I’m definitely looking forward to it,” Dunn said.