KEY POINTS:
With the most astonishing season in New Zealand harness racing history almost behind him Dexter Dunn has just one more target in sight.
And it is one of his hero's.
Dunn will start tonight's Addington meeting on 145 wins for the season, assuring him of the national driver's
premiership at the age of 18.
This a year after driving just four winners in New Zealand last term.
His ascendance from skinny young kid with a bit of a reputation to skinny young kid with a CV full of records has been the most amazing story of an incredible racing season.
And now, with just his final seasonal tally to be clarified, Dunn is two wins away from equalling New Zealand's most successful ever reinsman, Tony Herlihy.
Herlihy's best season was when he reined 147 winners in 1995, beating arch-rival Maurice McKendry by one.
If Dunn can win two races tonight he will equal Herlihy's best ever season as well as recording the third best season ever by a New Zealand driver.
The top two spots belong to McKendry, who drove 161 winners in the season ending in 1989 and 152 in the 1990-91 season.
"To be that close to Tony is pretty awesome," says Dunn, still greeting every new milestone with a sense of awe.
"I think I can go close to that [147] because I have four or five good drives this week."
Dunn rates Willie Nelson in race one at his best chances tonight, while he says Navy Cross, Wild Storm, Jack Jack Attack and Brandonetta all have winning prospects.
Four of those are in legs of tonight's $200,000 terminating Pick6, the sort of jackpot harness racing fans are now loathe to leave Dunn's drive out of their combinations regardless of the form of his horse.
While Dunn's rise defies belief and suggests a potentially great career in the sulky, regardless of what happens tonight he will be back at work in the freezing cold early tomorrow morning.
His boss, Cran Dalgety, is on holiday and Dunn is working overtime, while he will start on next season's tally at the Kurow meeting on Sunday.
He has television commitments in Wellington next Monday, work all next week and will accept two premiership trophies at the New Zealand Harness Racing Awards dinner at Alexandra Park on Saturday week.
The latter is a function he would rather miss, preferring instead to be in Victoria driving at the Breeders Crown meeting.
"But Absolute Magic and De Gaulle [his drives there] aren't going so I'll be at the awards instead."
After a season in which he has driven in more than 800 races and travelled more than 50,000 kilometres, Dunn admits he will need a break soon.
"I've just shaken off a cold and I am going to try and get away for a week next month, to get right away from the horses for a few days."
SUPERB SEASON
* Dexter Dunn starts tonight's Addington meeting on 145 wins for the season.
* That guarantees him the national premiership at the age of 18.
* His is the fifth best seasonal tally ever recorded and he could move into third best tonight.