Dunn pilots both Alta Maestro in the $170,000 Sires’ Stakes Final and Bonnie Joan in the $150,000 New Zealand Oaks and, unsurprisingly, his main rivals come from Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen’s All Stars stable.
Dunn is perfectly positioned to knock off the All Stars favourites Spankem and Spanish Armada in the two features and plans to do it with a do-or-die-type approach.
"I think if I hand up to either Spankem or Spanish Armada I am probably conceding defeat," Dunn said.
"They are both good front-runners with gate speed so I might as well use that advantage.
"So the plan is definitely to stay in front of both and I think they can both win, even though the All Stars are very hard to beat at the premier [meetings]."
Dunn said his tactics on Bonnie Joan in tonight’s Oaks were born of confidence gained in recent weeks, whereas with Alta Maestro the big colt would probably get the final say.
"He is a hard-charging horse and I don’t really see him as a horse I could hand up on.
"He will get to the front and keep rolling and he rated 1:52.4 for the 1950m last week, so I don’t think he will need to go a lot quicker.
"It probably just depends what sort of run Spankem gets whether he can beat us or not."
The All Stars stable will come with both talent and numbers to try to deny Dunn in both group 1 features. Spankem is joined in the 2yr-old Sires Stakes Final by last week’s Yearling Sales Final winner The Devil’s Own as well as All U Need Is Faith and Bailey Major.
In the Oaks, the stable lines up last week’s Fillies Series final winner Spanish Armada and Northern Oaks winner Party On.
Both Bonnie Joan and the Purdon-Rasmussen pair’s winning chances slightly improved with the shock scratching of Delightful Memphis during the week. Punters can expect Dunn to take a similarly positive attitude on the Graeme Anderson-trained Eamon Maguire in tonight’s Sires Stakes Sophomore Classic.
Anderson expects his driver to use positivity to counteract the star Westwood Beach pacer’s barrier draw on the outside of the front line.
"He will sum it up. He will either go forward straight away or mooch around at the winning post. We have got to be positive."
Eamon Maguire goes into tonight’s race in excellent condition having come through his track record-breaking win in last month’s Southern Supremacy Stakes in great order.
"I am really happy with him going into the race. I couldn’t be more chuffed with how he came through that run."
Majestic Man carries also carries hopes of a southern victory in tonight’s 2yr-old Sires Stakes Trot.
But to win, the Phil Williamson-trained trained trotter must overcome a perfectly drawn One Muscle Hill.
The Australian-trained squaregaiter ran away to an easy victory in last week’s 2yr-old Sales Series Trot. The All Stars stable looks next to no hope of taking one of the night’s features.
It lines up the talented President Roydon in the rich 3yr-old Sales Series Trotting Final, but he takes on the brilliance and power of Engien.
- Michael Guerin and Jonny Turner
