Following odds-on triumphs in the Jerry Silverman Memorial and Tompkins-Geers Stakes, 1-9 favourite Miki And Minnie made easy work of her six foes in the $132,847 Shady Daisy Stakes (Grade 3) for three-year-old pacing fillies on Saturday, Aug. 2 at The Meadowlands, equalling her 1:48.3 lifetime mark and scoring her third consecutive Big M stakes win in the act.
Driver Dexter Dunn floated the early season Fan Hanover Stakes champ Miki And Minnie forward into midfield on the first turn as Beach Babe (Yannick Gingras) split Thebeautifulthings (Kyle Husted) and Gigglingonthebeach (James MacDonald) to control a punishing :25.4 first quarter. Upon straightening up the backstretch, Dunn angled Miki And Minnie off the pegs and the Always B Miki-Thats The Ticket filly steadily advanced to clear Beach Babe at the completion of a :54.1 half.
Miki And Minnie faced her lone true test of the race midway around the far turn when Rodeo Drive Deo (David Miller) advanced first-over from fifth and took aim at her nearing three-quarters in 1:22.2, but the 2024 Dan Patch Award divisional winner parried her outside challenger with a :26.1 sprint home to keep Rodeo Drive Deo 1-3/4 lengths at bay while measured to the winning post. Jordanna Hanover (Jason Bartlett) chased Rodeo Drive Deo's cover to finish third, another 5-1/2 lengths behind.
"She's a little bit of a lazy filly and she's starting to learn to race on the front," admitted Chris Ryder, who trains the homebred filly for owners Craig Henderson of Chicago, Illinois, Robert Mondillo of Delaware, Ohio and Lawrence Minowitz of Greenwich, Connecticut. "She's just a such a special horse; it's great to have her."
The Shady Daisy marked Miki And Minnie's 12th win from 18 career starts and it lifted her lifetime earnings to $1.6 million. She paid $2.10 to win.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)