DEXTER’S DIGITS
Career NZ wins: 1764.
Record: 220 wins in the 2011 season.
Highlights: World Driving Champ; Auckland Cup, Miracle Mile, Hunter Cup, Victoria Cup (twice), NZ Free-For-All.
By Michael Guerin
Dexter Dunn hates the number 199.
The champion reinsman is not superstitious and has few other bugbears when in the sulky but he admits he will be disappointed if he doesn’t leave Addington tonight with 200 wins,hopefully more for the season.
Dunn reined winner 199 for the term at Forbury Park last Thursday so has hardly been stranded on his bogey number but even a week is too long.
“I realise I’ll almost certainly get the 200 for the season and probably a few more but I hate being on 199.
“I finished on 199 for the season two years in a row (2012,13) and it was really annoying.
“I’d rather only drive 190 winners in a season than get that close and miss.
“But I’ve got a good book this week and really I should get there.” Dunn says while he has a handy book early tonight, it is On The Rantan in race nine who is his best winning chance.
“I know he is only a two-year-old taking on older horses but he is pretty good,” says Dunn.
“I worked him on Tuesday and he worked like a winner.
“And he has very good manners for a young horse so if they go hard early, which I think they will, he might have too much speed.” On The Rantan is being aimed as a Breeders Crown campaign in Victoria and would want to go very close to winning tonight to warrant the expense of an Australian campaign.
Dunn also rates Rapid Flight in race two a top chance tonight while he suggests punters follow Time Traveller (race three) even though he thinks he might have to settle for second tonight.
“He is up against a horse of Dad’s (Robert Dunn) called Freedom Fighter who they think a lot of and it probably should win.” Robert Dunn also provides one of the star attractions of tonight’s meeting in Franco Christiano, who is held in huge regard by his trainer.
Franco Christiano resumed with a win at Blenheim last Friday and is also being set for the Breeders Crown but he faces a tricky assignment tonight from a wide draw against the in-form G I Joe among others.
Meanwhile, Dexter says while he hopes to get to 200 in a season for the fifth time in his career tonight, he doesn’t expect to challenge his New Zealand record 220 from 2011.
“I am driving in Brisbane the next three Saturdays, which means missing three Sunday meetings back here,” he said.
“And then I am away for the last two meetings of the season as I am going to drive in Wales and Ireland then have a short holiday.
“But getting 200 plus wins is more than enough. As long as it isn’t 199 again.
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