Pocono: Miki And Minnie leads Monday's PA All-Stars entrants

Miki And Minnie, voted the Dan Patch Award recipient for 2-year-old pacing fillies last season, will make her 2025 purse debut on Monday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, starting in one of four $30,000 divisions of a Pennsylvania All-Stars event for her age, sex, and gait.

A daughter of Always B Miki trained by Chris Ryder for owners Craig Henderson, Robert Mondillo, and Lawrence Minowitz, Miki And Minnie posted 11-6-4-1 finish statistics and earned $834,086 in her championship season. Among her triumphs were a division of the Bluegrass, the finale in the top level of the Kentucky state program, the Breeders Crown, and the Three Diamonds.

This year trainer Ryder has given her three preparatory qualifiers: a season-opening second in which she closed in 26 seconds, and then victories in 1:52 1/5-55 2/5-27 1/5 and 1:52 4/5-54-25 3/5. Dexter Dunn will be in his usual perch behind Miki And Minnie, who has no easy task from the outside post eight, against two foes who already have 2025 wins and two others who show 2024 stakes triumphs. Despite these factors, Miki And Minnie has been installed as the 5-2 morning line favorite in race 12.

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The early favorites in their respective divisions included two daughters of Captaintreacherous: Rodeo Drive Deo, a 1:51 2/5 winner in her seasonal bow (race ten, post seven, driver David Miller, trainer Ron Burke), and Westwinds, whose second start of 2025 resulted in a 1:51 4/5 victory (race eight, post four, driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Noel Daley). Tetrick is also listed on the other All-Stars favorite, Asphalt (race six, post one, trainer Brett Pelling), who won her first race of 2025 in 1:51 1/5.

First post at Pocono on Monday is at 1 p.m.

--press release (PHHA/Pocono)--