By Michael Guerin
What a night it was for one of harness racing’s great families at Addington last night.
Robert Dunn picked up his 2100st training success with Dawn Till Dawn in Race 8, the Studholme Bloodstock “Join Our Winning Tradition” Handicap Pace, and then just three races later grandson Jacob Dunn registered his first driving winner with Sophia Bromac in the Gold Band Taxis Mobile Pace.
“I just can’t get the smile off my face,” Jacob said post race.
And the win did not come easy. Sophia Bromac was forced wide before launching a big run to just get up by a head from Sofia Rose and Melton Magnate who dead-heated for second.
“It wasn’t looking too good down the back out wide but credit to this girl she stuck on and sustained her run,” Dunn told Harness Unhinged’s Nigel Armstrong.
It was just Dunn’s fourth race day drive.
“It’s always an honour to get someone started in their career,” said Sophia Bromac’s trainer Mark Smolenski.
“He’s very dedicated and a helluva nice guy.”
Jacob’s parents John and Jenna Dunn were not at Addington to witness the breakthrough victory. They are in Auckland for the NZB Standardbred Yearling Sales which start this afternoon.
“They’ll be rapt up north,” Jacob said.
Meanwhile Robert Dunn didn’t know about his “Happy 21st” century of wins milestone until training partner and daughter-in-law Jenna told him but was quick to deflect the glory.
“It is a lot of wins but we have a lot of help,” he told HRNZ.
“Obviously Johnny and Jenna run things down south and they have so much help with a great mixture of young people and some really experienced guys and I think that mix works.
“And we have a really good team led by Rhys Fensom up here with the northern team.
“Those staff combined with some wonderful owners, many of whom we have had for a long time, allow us to train all these horses.”
While Dunn has always believed good staff make for a good stable it matters even more than ever now as he has been forced to reduced his physical workload.
“I have a heart issue which means I can get tired and out of breath very easily,” explains Dunn.
“I am hoping to get some drugs for it from the US but they are very expensive so I am really having to restrict my workload so it is even crucial than ever to have good staff.”
Like John and Jenna, Robert will be shopping at the Yearling Sales at Karaka and again in Christchurch on Tuesday.
“There are some lovely horses up here and some from families we have had success with so we will be active,” he says.
