Racing: Sundees Son special boost to Robert Dunn's career

Sundees Son on his way to victory. Photo / Supplied

Robert Dunn is putting the exclamation marks on a great training career. And the way Sundees Son humbled his rivals in the $270,000 Dominion at Addington, they have not finished yet.

Dunn has been one of New Zealand's best harness trainers for three decades, training pacing Cup winners Master Musician and Mainland Banner, and while he has never been without a good horse Dunn has added two huge strings to his bow in the last 12 months.

Not only did he finally win the New Zealand harness trainers premiership last season, he also now has the best trotter in the country.

Sundees Son first looked that 18 months ago when he won the Rowe Cup and Anzac Cup at Alexandra Park, suggesting he was on the path to greatness. But he was found to have bone bruising issues and Dunn and his son John gave the diminutive trotter almost a year off racing to repair his body.

It worked. Sundees Son has come back stronger and maybe even faster and that gave John the confidence to drive him like the best horse in the race.

So much so John pulled out of the one-one to sit parked at the bell and destroyed his rivals in a new national record for the 3200m.

"It is special to have a trotter like him, especially at this stage of my career," says Robert Dunn.

"For years we didn't train many trotters but now we have about 20 in work. But to win these major trot races, when we have so many great trainers of trotters in this country, is very special."

The Dunns will now weigh up whether to bring Sundees Son north for the series of major trots over summer or back off and wait for the autumn Group 1 races.

If he does come north it sets up a mouth-watering clash for harness fans between him and 4-year-old excitement machine Bolt For Brilliance.

So dominant was Sundees Son he even overshadowed Spankem's brilliant win in the $180,000 NZ Pacing Free-For-All after a massive plunge by punters.

Spankem opened $2.40 but was backed into $1.70 holding six times the money of stablemate Amazing Dream and the race was as good as over after 150m when he worked to the lead. He then set his own terms and bolted clear at the top of the straight to gain some hefty compensation for his Cup second on Tuesday.

Spankem, Cup-winning stablemate Self Assured and the free-for-all's luckless runner Amazing Dream will now all head north for the Alexandra Park carnival next month.