DUNN SWEEPS SOPHOMORE NJ CLASSIC PACES

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- September 11, 2026 -- Before teaming Hambletonian champion Apex to victory in the New Jersey Classic for 3-year-old male trotters, Dexter Dunn swept the event's sophomore pacing divisions, piloting New Jersey Sire Stakes Platinum champions Be Perfect BG and Bookie J to odds-on scores in their respective $150,000 New Jersey Classic finals on Friday (Sept. 11) at the Meadowlands.

Following third-place finishes in the Grade 3 Shady Daisy and the Grade 1 James Lynch Memorial, Be Perfect BG found her way back to the winner's circle with a decisive 1:49.2 score in the 3-year-old filly pace.

Dunn put 1-20 favorite Be Perfect BG in play from post 6 in the field of seven, and the Perfect Sting-JK Mardi Says filly pushed clear of early leader Car Keys (driven by Jason Bartlett) after a :27 first quarter only to yield control to 6-1 second choice Perfect Thought (Scott Zeron), whose middle move from third landed her in front beyond the :55 half-mile station. Be Perfect BG made her second move with five-sixteenths to go, angling out of the pocket to engage Perfect Thought as the pace quickened to three-quarters in 1:22.1. She made easy work of the pacesetter turning for home, and she sprinted clear under a Dunn line drive to win by 4-3/4 lengths. Perfect Thought held Car Keys another length at bay to save second.

"I was surprised to see Scottie move (with Perfect Thought), but it was nice to get the filly covered up for a little bit and not on the front all the time," said Anthony Beaton, who trains Be Perfect BG for Sylvain Descheneaux's Ecurie CSL. "Dex said he actually didn't even try to move her (coming off the far turn); she just kind of moved herself, and she just exploded."

Now an 11-time winner with $511,283 in career earnings, B Perfect BG paid $2.10 to win.

Dunn came right back one race later to capture the 3-year-old male pace with Bookie J, who dug deep to parry a sustained first-over charge from Dancin Daddy (Tim Tetrick) by a neck in 1:51.4.

After protecting pole position and strolling through a :57.2 half with their five foes in single-file formation behind them, Bookie J and Dunn picked up the pace on the far turn with Dancin Daddy — who angled out from fourth with three-eighths to go and made steady ground — prompting a :28.2 third split and setting up for a stretch showdown. The two threw down off the corner for home, and Bookie J held sway as the 1-10 favorite while driven out. Dancin Daddy held second despite drifting in the final yards; Callmebigpapi (Todd McCarthy) split foes to finish third, missing by just a half length.

"I don't think he's a particularly good sprinter; he's more of a grinder," said trainer Chris Ryder of Bookie J, who was forced to shift gears into a :26.1 closing quarter to seal victory. "I think he's a little better if he goes a little faster (earlier in the mile). ... The horse has got a lot of heart. He tries hard and he got there."

Now a 10-time winner with $473,518 in the bank for owner Kennth Jacobs, Bookie J paid $2.20 to win.

The 3-year-old New Jersey Classic paces were sponsored by Black Horse Racing & Breeding.

While odds-on choices took top honors in the sophomore splits, fives-on favorite Aintmyfirstro Deo got his first-ever taste of defeat in the $150,000 Classic for 2-year-old male pacers when Five Alarm Fire and Todd McCarthy lifted from the pocket to nab him in the final strides of a lifetime-best 1:51.4 mile.

Scott Zeron floated Aintmyfirstro Deo forward from the outside post 9 and took a brief tuck in fourth on the first turn as 5-1 second choice Five Alarm Fire brushed from third to take control just past a :27.2 quarter. Five Alarm Fire slowed the tempo through a :56.1 half before yielding to Aintmyfirstro Deo on approach to the far turn, only to be briefly boxed by Yellow Jacket (Vinny Ginsburg), who took first-over aim from third before fizzling out off the corner for home. With clear sailing at the eighth pole but two lengths to make up on an accelerating Aintmyfirstro Deo, McCarthy fed Five Alarm Fire racetrack, and the Always B Miki-Fiery Beauty colt emerged to stick a head in front of Aintmyfirstro Deo at the winning post. Goal Oriented (Andy Miller) made late inroads at 109-1 to finish third, beaten 2-1/4 lengths.

"Off the turn, I was asking my guy pretty good," said McCarthy. "At that point, I was I was kind of racing to be second, but I figured we'd be able to shake loose down the stretch. Once I got him straightened up, he swelled back up for me. I tipped him out, and he dug right in."

Five Alarm Fire, a two-time winner who has earned $88,360 for Sally and Paul MacDonald, is trained by Dr. Ian Moore. He paid $12 to win.

Perfect Body completed the quartet of Classic pacing champions, posting a front-end 1:51 score in the 2-year-old filly pace and becoming the third pacer on the card to complete the NJSS Platinum/Classic double.

Brett Beckwith brushed the Perfect Sting-Sweet Body filly to the fore out of third after a :27.1 quarter and controlled a :56.2 middle half before bracing for a host of late pursuers. Perfect Hope Deo (Andy McCarthy), who yielded for a pocket ride up the backstretch, took aim off the corner for home but faded at once; runner-up Real Choice (Bartlett) was blocked until mid-stretch but found a lane up the pegs to lunge at Perfect Body; and third-place finisher Butterfly Effect (Tetrick) cascaded down the grandstand side around cover with the best late pace of any. Perfect Body had enough left to keep them all at bay, icing her third career win by three-quarters of a length.

"It's always tough to win these kinds of races, but she's really strong and felt good going underneath the wire," said Beckwith. "Right when we straightened up, I called on her a little bit, and she sprinted away pretty good. I just wanted to make sure she minded her manners the rest of the way."

Chris Choate trains Perfect Body, who has earned $213,550 for Randall Beach, Craig Smith, Charles Rowe and Carl Austin Jr. As the lukewarm 5-2 favorite, she paid $7.20 to win.

The 2-year-old New Jersey Classic paces were sponsored by Knutsson Trotting Inc.