By Adam Hamilton
Kiwi superstar Dexter Dunn has snared the pick-up drive on Motu Meteor in Saturday night’s NSW Derby.
It was a case of “if you don’t ask, you don’t get” with Dunn putting his own hand up for drive to owner Merv Butterworth during a chance phone call late yesterday.
“I was talking to Blair Orange on the way home from Gore about one of my horses and Dexter was in the car with him,” Butterworth said. “Blair said Dexter wanted me to know he was keen to drive Meteor if we hadn’t already locked in a driver.
“I told him I’d discuss it with Mark (Purdon) and get back to him. Mark said Dexter would suit the horse ideally so we booked him.”
Motu Meteor has been a big improver during his Aussie campaign with four starts netting three wins and a second in the Victoria Derby.
“He’s maturing and becoming a better racehorse with every start,” Butterworth said.
“We’ve been so pleased it wasn’t a surprise to us that he was able to sit outside Our Little General and beat him the other night.
“That’s despite Our Little General coming out under him about three times in the run.”
Motu Meteor’s improvement has prompted change of plans beyond the NSW Derby final.
“We’ve now decided to send him back across to Auckland for the Northern Derby,” Butterworth said.
“After that he’ll head back to Victoria and join Kerryn (Manning) and Grant’s (Campbell) stable.”
Motu Meteor is one of the All Stars’ three Derby runners with Mark Purdon on Vincent and Natalie Rasmussen aboard Ultimate Machete.
Vincent’s dominant heat win combined with Ultimate Machete’s shock defeat has seen a reversal in prepost favouritism for the final with Vincent now the standout.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
