by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway

Monticello, NY — The added race card at Monticello Raceway on Sunday, July 19, will not only feature two divisions of the C.K.G. Billings Amateur Driving Series and two races for members of the Catskill Amateur Driving Club, but along with the events many non-racing aficionados will be in attendance to watch and enjoy the track’s 18th edition of the Ms Monticello Raceway Beauty Pageant which will be presented during the racing program.

The two Billings Eastern Region Trots are slated as races one and five on the 10-race card while the Catskill Amateurs will battle in races four and six.

Favored in the first Billings split is Valcyon Days who won here in 2:00 on July 1. Tony “the Capo” Verruso will be in the sulky when the trotter leaves from post position five. Looking to reel him in will be Rob “Rapid Rail” Krivelin and his 14-year-old warhorse, Unitas, who comes into the contest fresh off an easy victory at the Afton (N.Y.) Fair on July 9.

In the other division Gerry “The Catskill Cat” Fielding has the favorite in Pleasant Spur who was a 2:03.2 Billings winner at Historic Track on July 3. But Fielding can expect trouble from Harvey “Doc” Stein’s I’m Dam Goog, another 14-year-old who was a 2:03.4 winner earlier this year and will be seeking his 98th career victory. However, don’t discount George “the Brooklyn Cowboy” Casale and his trotter Perfect Gerry, who together have a chance to control the race when they leave from the pole position.

Many of the Billings amateurs will also compete in the two Catskill Amateur Driving Series divisions that are on the card. Those events will constitute the second leg of the series — the first was raced at Historic Track on July 3 — which will continue here at the Mighty M on the following Sunday (July 26) and then conclude here with a series finale on August 3.

But even if one is not a harness racing fan the Ms Monticello Raceway Beauty Pageant will surely be easy on the eyes and an entertaining part of the afternoon’s festivities. Slated to begin at 12:40 p.m. — a half-hour before the first race — the 32 competing lovelies will be judged in swimsuits and evening gowns during the racing program and at the end of the ninth race a new winner will be crowned by Ms Monticello Raceway-2008, Courtney Blauvelt, now a graduate student at SUNY Fredonia.