Betsy Phillips wins Lady Godiva Pace

Someone was kidding Betsy Phillips in the paddock before Thursday's Lady Godiva Pace for female drivers at Monticello Raceway that despite winning 543 races in her career she had never won this race at her home track where the majority of her driving victories occurred.

So what does Phillips do? She goes out with a 30-1 shot and wins this year's Lady Godiva Pace in a time of 2:02.4

On Valentine's Day, in the sixth edition of the race strictly for lady drivers  Phillips won with longshot Dryad Hanover in a proverbial stretch duel with favored Julia’s Girl who was driven by last year’s winner Devan “the Purple Princess” Miller.

Actually the truth be known Miller’s pacer was the shortest of noses ahead of Phillip’s charge at the finish but when Miller went inside the euro rail at the top of the lane the judges had no recourse other than to reverse the first two positions.

Miller’s dad, top driver David Miller, was standing near the winner's circle during the race cheering for his daughter and was philosophical about his daughter being placed second.

“No big deal, she went inside the pylons and it cost her,” he said. “But she drove a great race.”

However, the afternoon belonged to Besty Phillips, Monticello Raceway’s Queen of the Sulky.

When Stacy Chiodo, driving Butter Roll, yielded command to Julia’s Girl  at the quarter pole in :29:3, Miller kept her mare moving and they passed the half in 1:01…but company was coming.

At that point Phillips moved Dryad Hanover first-up followed closely by two-time Lady Godiva winner Jody Riedel with Our Colors Best. From there Julia’s Girl and Dryad Hanover raced head to head  to the three quarters at which point Riedel moved Our Colors Best three deep and they ranged alongside Julia’s Girl and Dryad Hanover  and the three raced as a team into the final turn. However, midway around the turn Our Colors Best went offstride and Julia’s Girl pulled away a length or so.

But that margin was decreased with every step in the lane as Julia’s Girl and Dryad Hanover locked horns in a proverbial stretch duel and it was hard to tell who the winner was when they crossed the finish line. Even announcer Howard Oil, who prides himself on making his last call the winner, yelled "Too close to call!”

And it was only the thickness of a pencil that separated the two but due to the driving infraction Phillips got her picture taken. Third place went to Butter Roll and driver Stacy Chiodo.

In the winner's circle Maureen Flynn, the track's director of simulcasting and pari-mutuels, made the usual Lady Godiva Race presentation of a box of Godiva Chocolates to winning driver Betsy Phillips.

Owned by Peter Lutman Jr and trained by Sherry Lutman, Dryad Honover notched her first victory of the year and returned a $62 win mutuel. (Monticello)

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