Devan aims for Lady Godiva

Fresh off her resounding victory in her inaugural start at the Meadowlands on Feb. 1, Devan Miller will be among the participants when Monticello Raceway presents its fifth edition of its Lady Godiva Pace Wednesday, Feb. 14, a race which features the driving talents of the gentle sex.

Miller, just 18 years of age and the daughter of driver David Miller, became one of just 17 women to have won a race at the Meadowlands when she guided trotter Maltese Malcom to a two-length triumph in a time of 1:56.4.

She will be joined by Leah Vandervort, Stacy Chiodo, Betsy Phillips, Lisa Krom, Karyn Malinowsky, Terry Donnelly and defending champion Jody Riedel when the girls race for the Godiva chocolates at the Mighty M on Valentine's Day.

Miller has previously driven 124 times, nearly all of which had come in her home state of Ohio and mostly at the county fairs though she raced two times at Freehold Raceway this season. Her victory at the Big M was the 11th of her burgeoning career.

Admittedly she was nervous--what teenager wouldn’t be--before she took the lines behind Maltese Malcom at America’s racing showplace, but she performed like a seasoned veteran.

A native of Columbus, Ohio--though she now resides in Troy, Ohio--Miller obtained her matinee license at age 12 and says that driving harness horses is what she always wanted to do.

Of course she’d love to emulate her dad, David, who is one the most outstanding drivers in North America and already has driven more than 8,160 winners.

Miller got her first career win with a pacer named Easy Connection at Sept. 1, 2005 at Dayton, Ohio when she was barely 17 years old. She has since leased the mare and brought her east where she had a second-place finish at Freehold Raceway on Jan. 26.

Upon her dad’s encouragement, Devan has decided to spend the winter in New Jersey and return to Ohio in the spring and plans to attend a local community college while pursuing a career as a harness driver.

"I’ll probably end up majoring in business because if I get a trainer's license it will definitely help me,” Miller told a reporter from the Midwest prior to her race at the Meadowlands.

By going back home she believes she can get more drives and by her own admission “it’s hard to get a career started at the Meadowlands.”

She is looking forward to compete in Monticello Raceway’s Lady Godiva Pace on Valentine's Day, and she’ll will be accompanied by her dad David, who may even don his colors and drive in a few races at the Catskill Mountain oval that afternoon.

“It’s really not imperative that I drive (that day), “ David Miller told the Monticello Raceway publicity department the same day that Devan consented to compete. “I really just want to be there to lend support to my daughter.” (Monticello)

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