Meadowlands: Dunn steering Bulldog Hanover, Bella Bellini into the spotlight

With the world record of 1:46 equaled by Bulldog Hanover on July 2 and followed up with a 1:46 1/5 mile just seven days later at the Meadowlands in the Graduate Series final, driver Dexter Dunn has, of course, been inundated with the obvious question.

"Could Bulldog Hanover have gone faster?"

Fortunately, Dunn was up to the task, not just in driving the 4-year-old son of Shadow Play but also in deflecting the need to talk about speed.

"My job is to win races," Dunn said when asked in his post-race interview.

With three straight miles in 1:47 or better, Dunn will once again sit behind Bulldog Hanover in Saturday's $500,000 William R. Haughton Memorial at the Meadowlands. We asked him if he had any concerns at all as to whether this budding superstar could have a falloff in form given the consecutive weeks of high-end speed.

"I'm not worried," Dunn said. "He's just such a powerful animal. I would be concerned if he finished the miles on empty. With him it took me a half-a-mile just to pull him up."

A winner in six of his seven starts this year, Bulldog Hanover has done something over the past three weeks that would be hard to match historically. While most of the 1:47 or better miles we've seen have involved incredibly quick opening halves, in all three of Bulldog Hanover's Meadowlands victories with Dunn at the helm the horse has come final halves in 52 or a shade above.

That's why Dunn has superb confidence in Bulldog Hanover going forward. That kind of mind-blowing speed is hard to come by, and the consistency with which we've seen it suggests there is no fluke in his game.

"The fact that he can just keep going at that speed reminds me of Party Girl Hill," said Dunn, reflecting on the career of the phenomenal daughter of Captaintreacherous he guided through a magical 3-year-old campaign in 2020.

While Dunn did not drive Bulldog Hanover as a 3-year-old, the comparison is legitimate given the overpowering nature of the horses, and the appearance that they were never at a loss no matter what the circumstances.

While Dunn has the confidence in Bulldog Hanover, the Haughton is unlikely to offer the fractions he's been able to get in his previous three triumphs. A 11-horse field put him inside his main rival Rockyroad Hanover, with Bulldog Hanover in post seven and Rockyroad Hanover post nine, but with speedsters Whichwaytothebeach (post one) and Tattoo Artist (post four) inside of him, as well as Nicholas Beach (post 11) having the potential to be on the move early, Dunn's capable hands will need to be ready for a different game plan. Racing fans need not worry. Since Dunn's arrival towards the end of 2018, he has adapted to the North American style of racing quite nicely and shown an uncanny ability to save his horses for the homestretch, whether on the front-end or working his way up on the outside. While Bulldog Hanover has appeared to be all speed and power in his most recent starts, Dunn showed the capacity to rate on the rim with Party Girl Hill and, of course, the incomparable Bettor's Wish. Though the filly found the winner's circle with more regularity, Bettor's Wish was a different kind of horse, and Dunn blended with his style perfectly to get the most from a horse that gave the most even if he wasn't always the fastest at the end of a mile.

Record-setting aside, what Saturday's Haughton field could provide for Bulldog Hanover is a strong early pace to sit off. For those hoping to see the fastest mile in harness racing history, the Haughton could easily be the vehicle if horses work hard to seize the lead hoping to be sitting second or third behind Bulldog Hanover once Dunn is able to get the front. An opening half in 52 or better with Bulldog Hanover not on the front end may be the exact recipe to shatter the standard.

Time will tell.

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On the trotting side, Dunn has the good fortune to be sitting behind Bella Bellini. The pair made headlines in 2021 as the daughter of Bar Hopping emerged from an uneventful 2-year-old campaign into the premier sophomore trotting filly in North America. It was an incredible ride for Dunn and trainer Nifty Norman, and when the trotting mare returned for the 2022 season, it was hard to know what to expect.

"She looks totally different physically this year than a year ago," said Dunn of Bella Bellini. "She's always been very fast, and I have confidence in that speed, but she's just much stronger overall."

Dunn has been able to suit Bella Bellini's style by exploiting that high speed at the exact time in a mile it best serves the mare. This year, Bella Bellini has shifted gears in a major way and blew past champion Atlanta when the two met for the first time on June 4 at the Meadowlands with an eye-popping 25 4/5 final quarter. Since then, we've seen other sub-26 final quarters by trotters orchestrated by Dunn, with the 25 3/5 final quarter of Alrajah One in his North American debut a fine example. Bella Bellini drew post 11 in the second tier for the mile and one-eighth Hambletonian Maturity with $432,000 on the line (race 11). The lone mare against a solid group that includes the streaking Rattle My Cage (post eight), Bella Bellini will be looking for her fourth consecutive stakes victory with her pilot confident in her talent and ability to handle the assignment.

Despite his enormous confidence, Dunn had to deal with a difficult start to the season. "After the break it was a bit rough for the first month or two," Dunn said of the 2022 season. "But the last two months has been strong."

Dunn has guided Jiggy Jog S from the Ake Svanstedt stable to consecutive stakes victories, first at Yonkers in the New York New York Mile and then last week (July 9) in the Zweig Filly division at Vernon Downs. "She had some problems on the last turn at Yonkers," Dunn said. "She was much better at Vernon and I had to stop her a few times before finding room."

Since picking up the Jiggy Jog S drive, Dunn has two wins and a second, the latter coming in the New Jersey Sire Stakes final behind Fashion Schooner. Currently, he's on the fence as to whether he'll stick with Jiggy Jog S through the Hambletonian Oaks or not.

"Lilbitalexis has been getting better with each start," Dunn said of the Norman-trained daughter of Walner. "We had some trouble in the Reynolds, but she was much better in the Zweig consolation." Lilbitalexis drew post five in one of two Del Miller divisions on Saturday night at the Meadowlands and will meet both stablemate Venerable, as well as this year's top sophomore Joviality S in the contest.

Despite the slow start to the 2022 season, Dunn's horses have earned more than $3 million collectively, and the driver certainly seems on pace for another strong campaign. Over the prior three years Dunn's horses earned $36 million. Equally adept with trotters and pacers, Dunn figures to be in the spotlight this Saturday and far beyond.

Free Harness Eye past performances for Saturday's Meadowlands card and more information on a special DRF Bets 10% rebate on exotic wagers is available here.