MR - INTEREST GROWING IN MONTICELLO’S 10TH ANNUAL LADY GODIVA PACE

Responses are beginning to come in from around the east coast from women  who wish to drive in Monticello Raceway’s 10^th annual  Lady Godiva Pace on Monday Afternoon, May 14.  This season the event, strictly for women drivers,  will be the fourth leg of the Mighty M’s Heritage Drivers Series and the winner of the contest will earn a berth in the Heritage Series finale which will be presented later this fall.

“Usually we raced the Lady Godiva Pace in February, on or near Valentine’s Day, but for circumstances beyond our control we had to postpone it then but now it will be raced on May 14,” noted Eric Warner the tracks director of racing. “And that’ll be a perfect day since May 14^th is just one day after Mother’s Day.”

Among the women whom Warner has  heard from are Betsy Phillips, Terry Donnelly, Whitney Goodblood and Dr. Karyn Malinowski.

For racing fans nationwide, Betsy Phillips needs no introduction. As fine a women driver who ever sat behind a Standardbred Ms Phillips is long considered the Queen of the Mighty M and sports 550 driving victories in her career. That total ranks her among the best women drivers ever in North America. She won the Lady Godiva in 2008 with 30-1 longshot Dryad Hanover in 2:02.4.

Donnelly, a regular on the CKG Billings Amateur Driver’s circuit, won the 2004 Lady Godiva  Pace with Green Means Go in  a time of 2:03.1 and her victory sparked a $148.40 mutuel payoff  which was the talk of the track for weeks afterward.   A few seasons ago  the local scribes named Donnelly the Amateur Driver of the Year and she enjoys  driving whenever she gets a chance to.

For Goodblood, who calls Vernon Downs home, this year will mark her first time participating in the race strictly for women drivers. She recently competed in a pair of all-women drivers races at Pompano Park in mid-February where she made a good showing with a third and fourth place finish.

And Dr. Malinowski, a professor at Rutgers University  who has done so much for harness racing in the State of New Jersey, will be seeking  her first Lady Godiva victory from just a handful of starts in the event.

However, despite being off to a good start  Warner  will still need  a few more female drivers to round out the field for the upcoming contest. For further information, or to seek a position behind the starting gate  in the upcoming Lady Godiva Pace on Monday, May 14, women  with at least a provisional license, are urged to call Warner in the race office at 845-794-4100 x557. Or they can phone the tracks publicity office at ext. 455.