Two girls with deep ties to harness racing in Alberta are among the 15 finalists in Northlands Park's second-annual Canadian Derby Girls contest

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Katie Graham and Jodi Loftus, both caretakers in Alberta, are among the finalists and are featured in the Canadian Derby Calendar. Both Graham and Loftus were featured earlier this year in the Edmonton Sun Bingo contest, in partnership with Northlands Park.

"I'm very excited to be a Derby girl," Graham told Trot Insider. "I'm so happy I got this chance to help promote horse racing. Even better, I have the whole standardbred family supporting me every step of the way. It really feels great."

Graham was profiled earlier this year after her appearance on the front page of the Edmonton Sun.

Also in the running for Miss Canadian Derby is fellow standardbred groom Jodi Loftus, 27, who wishes to eventually own her own training centre. The photo shoots for the Sun and the Derby Calendar marked her first modeling experience.

"I was very nervous but very flattered at the same time," said the Calgary resident who works for the Rod Hennessey Stable. "The experience was really neat and out of my comfort zone but I had a blast doing it."

The Miss Canadian Derby Girls calendar will be available for purchase at thehorses.com online store shortly. Online voting at thehorses.com runs until Aug. 18. Miss Canadian Derby 2010 will be determined at a pageant on August 19 - with 25 per cent of their score coming from the online voting.

To vote for Miss Canadian Derby 2010, click here.