by Steve Wolf, senior director of racing operations, Pompano Park

Pompano Beach, FL — Many of the top women harness racing drivers in North America will compete on Saturday (Feb. 14) at the Isle Pompano Park in two $7,000 divisions of the Mildred Williams Driving Championship.

All of the drivers competing in the second and fourth races are donating their winnings to the Gilda’s Club of South Florida, a free cancer community support center named after celebrity comedian and actress Gilda Radner.

The Mildred Williams Series takes place at more than 35 tracks across North America. The series is named after one of the first professional woman drivers in harness racing, Mildred Williams, who in the mid-1960s through the 1970s won more than 400 races.

Gio Formia, the wife of noted horseman Osvaldo Formia, heads the second race trot first division of the series with SI Mrs Lavec from post two as the 5-2 race favorite. Her main rival will be Devan Miller, the daughter of top driver David Miller. She starts from the rail with Mac Pacific.

The fourth race pacing division features local star Kelly Case, a career winner of 763 races. She is the sister of Walter Case, Jr. and is married to driver David Ingraham. Case drives Casey’s Bonanza from post four, who has won three of his last four starts and last week wired the field in 1:56.1.