By John Manzi
MONTICELLO — July 11, 2003 – Tomorrow, July 12, Monticello Raceway will have its first Saturday afternoon racing program. The featured races will be the $105,000 New York Sire Stakes for 2-year-old trotting fillies. Those events mark the first leg of the series of races throughout New York State for the New York-breds that will culminate in a $150,000 Final at Yonkers Raceway for the highest money earners in the 2-year-old filly trotting division.
Four $26,726 divisions will go to post as races two, four, six and eight.
Being that the Monticello Sire Stake races are the initial ones in the summer-long series, most of the fillies will be making their first pari-mutuel starts. Of the 30 youngsters going to post tomorrow afternoon only three – Lady Matador, Jolly Molly T and El Paso Gal – have already been victorious in purse races.
Lady Matador, a Sir Taurus filly, was a 2:05 wire-to-wire winner at Goshen Historic Track on July 4. She’ll start from post six in the fourth race with Ray Schnittker aboard.
Jolly Molly T, a daughter of Master of Style, starts from post one in the sixth race and will be driven by Mark Whitcroft. At Goshen Historic Track on July 4, Jolly Molly T was a two-length winner in 2:07.2.
El Paso Girl, an El Paso Kash filly who’ll be handled by Jeff Gregory, was a 2:12 winner on June 30 at Goshen Historic Track. She’ll race from post four in the second race on the nine-race Saturday matinee card.
Just Like Jack, another Sir Taurus filly who won a qualifying event in 2:06:2 at Vernon Downs on June 19 and another qualifying race in 2:07:2 at Saratoga Raceway on June 30, will be the one to watch in the final $26,226 division, which is race eight on the card. Bert Belanger handles the daughter of Sir Taurus from post one.

Trotting Fillies Race
For Over $125,000
Then on the following day, Sunday, July 13, 3-year-old trotting fillies in New York Sire Stakes action will be presented here at the Mighty M.
Though I’m writing this prior to the races being drawn, our racing secretary, Eric Warner, tells me that he expects five divisions of sophomore trotting fillies to be racing for a total purse somewhere in the vicinity of $125,000.
These Monticello races will be the fourth leg for the 3-year-old trotting fillies. They have already competed at Buffalo Raceway, Vernon Downs and Goshen Historic Track and, like their 2-year-old filly counterparts, the top eight money earners will get a chance to race in the $150,000 Final.

Ms. Monticello Raceway
Preliminaries Scheduled
Due to the deluge of entries for Larry Roman’s Ms. Monticello Raceway Beauty Pageant, a preliminary competition will be held at the raceway on Sunday, July 20 to whittle the field to 25 semi-finalists.
When the judges’ decisions are final that afternoon, those making the cut will return the following Sunday, July 27, for the final competition. Of the 25 semi-finalists, the judges will select 12 finalists who will then compete for the title and the crown.
Besides becoming Ms. Monticello Raceway 2003, the winner will receive $5,000. First runner-up will win $1,500 with the second runner-up getting $1,000. Money will also be given to the 12 finalists.
The ladies will be judged on how well they appear in bathing suits and evening gowns.
All of the beauty pageant action will be on the raceway’s stage in front of the grandstand and the pageants will be run in conjunction with the racing programs.