Lexus Kody scores easily, Miki And Minnie impressive in Breeders Crown Eliminations

October 18, 2025

MILTON, October 18, 2025— Lexus Kody easily won his $34,250 (CAD) Breeders Crown Open Trot elimination for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Ron Burke, staving off a late charge from French Wine, and stopping the timer in 1:49.4 as the 6-5 choice on Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The Ontario-bred brown son of Archangel, out of the Ken Warkentin mare Lexus Helios notched seasonal victory number ten and career triumph 36 for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC of Fredericktown, PA; Weaver Bruscemi LLC of Canonsburg, PA, and Phillip Collura of Mountain Top, PA.

Lexus Kody was the first trotter in Canadian history to post a sub-1:50 record, doing so in the $690,000 (CAD) Maple Leaf Trot on Aug. 30, 2025, when he trotted to a 1:49.1 victorious clocking, defeating rivals Periculum and Southwind Coors (both byes in the Breeders Crown Open Trot Final), as well as Hillexotic and Call Me Goo. He came into his Breeders Crown elimination fresh off his 1:51.4 triumph in the Dayton Trotting Derby. This was his sixth straight victory, as he also won the $1 million (USD) MGM Yonkers International Trot; the Hoosier Park Classic; and Maple Leaf elimination.

“He just went in 1:49.4 like it was a walk in the park and is tremendously sharp, and was all business tonight,” said winning driver Yannick Gingras. “There aren’t enough good things to say about him. I wanted to get the outside post position out of the equation, that was our game plan, but he’s handy now and has won from the rail a couple of times here, so he can do it any which way, it doesn’t matter to him.”

Amigo Volo—a two time Breeders Crown winner who left the gate at 36-1—grabbed the early lead and took the field to a :27 first panel, with 9-5 French Wine pulling first over to the :55 half, as Lexus Kody followed closely behind before taking the lead to the 1:23 three-quarter marker. Gingras never pulled the ear plugs as Lexus Kody smoothly trotted to the wire, seemingly unfazed by the :26.4 final quarter.

French Wine held on for second, with 25-1 Hillexotic third, and Amigo Volo fourth. Bred by Norm H. Dunstan of Caledon Village, ON, Lexus Kody is a homebred and full brother to the gelding Lexus Ranger T, 4, 1:53.1f and a half-brother to Lexus Markus (by Amigo Hall) T, 6, 1:53.1h. Lexus Kody drew post five for the Final.

Miki And Minnie, last season’s Dan Patch winning divisional honoree, left no doubt she was clearly the best in her $34,250 (CAD) Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Filly Pace elimination on Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park, pacing strongly to the wire for driver Dexter Dunn in a lifetime best 1:48.2, which was also a track and Canadian-equaling mile record. This gutsy filly captured the $700,000 (USD) Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Filly Pace Final at The Meadowlands last season in 1:50.2 for these same connections.

The daughter of Always B Miki, out of the Roll With Joe mare That’s The Ticket, notched her 11^th victory in 13 starts this season and her 17^th win in 24 lifetime starts for owners Craig Henderson of Chicago, IL; Robert Mondillo of Delaware, OH; and Lawrence Minowitz of Greenwich, CT.

“We turned down the bye because I wanted to race her as otherwise it would have been five or six weeks before going into the final. She needed a race, and it was super that it worked the way out the way it did,” said trainer Chris Ryder. “She’s easy to train, she’s just a super filly and she’s tough. She doesn’t seem to have an end to her run and is beautiful to have around.”

Miki And Minnie got away third behind the pacesetting Faze (Tim Tetrick) who led the first to a :27 opening panel, with Looksgoodinloulou (Yannick Gingras) sitting in the two-hole, but by the half-mile :55.4 mark, it was Miki And Minnie who was sitting on Tetrick’s helmet. As the pacers neared the three-quarter mile post, Miki And Minnie was on the move, stopped the timer at that marker in 1:22.3 on the outside of Faze. From there, driver Dexter Dunn chirped to his filly and she responded by easily paced to the wire in a new career best as the 1-2 choice.

“I got away through the first turn and the trip worked out after that,” said winning driver Dexter Dunn. “This run will do her a lot of good after the month off. She’s an extremely competitive filly and I knew it was going to be a battle down to the wire, but I had all the faith in the world because my filly is a true fighter.”

Unreasonable was second for Marcus Miller at 5-1 odds, while Skywalker Sea notched third place honors for Austin Hanners at 76-1, with 59-1 Faze holding on for fourth.

Miki And Minnie’s last start saw her finish a strong second to Looksgoodinloulou in the Kentucky Sires Stakes Final on Sept. 14 at The Red Mile. She had previously captured the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes Final at The Meadows on Sept. 6 in 1:49.4; a Kentucky Sires Stakes on Aug. 25; and the $250,000 (USD) Lynch Final at Pocono Downs on Aug. 16, timed in 1:49.1; The Shady Daisy at The Meadowlands in 1:48.3; the Tompkins Geers in 1:49.4; and the Jerry Silverman in 1:48.4 in mid-July.

Miki And Minnie is the third foal out of That’s The Ticket p, 2, 1:52s, and has half-siblings in Great Seats (by Sweet Lou) p, 5, 1:49.2 and Dance Ticket (A Rocknroll Dance) p, 5, 1:54.2h.

By Kimberly Rinker