Dunn hoping to break through in major Big M stakes
At 0h02, on May 16, 2025 • By Meadowlands Media Relations
He’s been by far the most successful driver in harness racing over the last half-dozen years. During 2024, he won a record six Breeders Crown finals before going on to be named the Dan Patch Driver of the Year Award winner for a fifth time in the last six years.
But there are still two big stakes wins missing from Dexter Dunn’s resume.
This season, the 35-year-old New Zealand native has a good chance of checking the box next to both the Meadowlands Pace and Hambletonian.
“I’ve had my chances before, they are not easy races to win,” said Dunn, whose money earnings were a career-best $16 million during 2024. “You’re always trying to win those races. It’s the pinnacle of the sport, but I’ve got some nice ones coming along this year.”
One of those nice ones is Captain Optimistic, a Nancy Takter trainee who currently sits second in the Big M’s “Road to the Meadowlands Pace” Top 10 poll. Last year, the son of Captaintreacherous-Cinamony won seven of 11 starts and banked $454,830, with his biggest win coming in his final start of the year, in the $382,200 Governor’s Cup for 2-year-old male pacers at The Meadowlands.
“He had a good season last year,” said Dunn. “But he could do things a little bit wrong. He’s a bit of a quirky horse but he seems to have matured since last year. (He had some steering problems) but it seems like the issues have been corrected. I think it might have been more being immature than anything else. The ability is there. Hopefully, he can put it all together this year.”
It’s anybody’s guess what Captain Optimistic’s odds might be if he made it to the $700,000 (est.) Pace on July 12, but there is no question who the public choice will be in the $1 million Hambo on Aug. 2 if all goes smoothly. Were there a future wager on the 100th edition of “America’s Trotting Classic,” Maryland might be 4-5 or less.
“Maryland had an amazing year during 2024,” said Dunn of the son of Chapter Seven-Crucial. “He was always giving me a great feel from day one and carried it on through the season.
“(This year) he’s really filled out a lot. I trained him here (Saturday) morning and went a nice trip around the track. He felt really good.”
The Marcus Melander student won six of nine starts a year ago after finishing the season with five consecutive stakes victories: the $425,500 William Wellwood Memorial, $390,000 Peter Haughton Memorial, $740,000 Mohawk Million, $700,000 Breeders Crown and $173,300 Kindergarten. His seasonal earnings of $1,227,695 were tops in the sport, and made Maryland the first 2-year-old trotting colt to lead the game in earnings in more than seven decades.
“I think he was always special,” said Dunn. “He made a break (at The Meadowlands) early in the year (on July 5) but then he just sort of had to put it together. He always had the speed and the ability and the strength. With 2-year-old trotters, it takes time to get them good. He really did step up his game and really got better as the season went on.
“He’s obviously going to have a bit of weight on his shoulders (this year) but I’m sure he can handle it. The 3-year-old trotters, it’s hard battles out there, so he’s going to have to bring his “A” game.”
