The event is one of the eight legs in Monticello Raceway’s
Heritage Drivers Series-2013
“We had to postpone the Lady Godiva earlier this year due to
a lack of entries,” noted Eric Warner, the tracks Director of Racing. “There
just weren’t enough ladies who were interested in driving in early February.
Hopefully it was because of the frigid weather.”
Ever since the end of the Mildred Williams Series the Mighty
M has found it harder to get enough ladies together for a race.
However, now that the weather is better than it was in
February Warner is confident that he’ll be able to get a full field together.
But currently there aren’t too many women
drivers competing at Monticello Raceway. Warner will need some out –of-
towners to join in.
The Mighty M’s all-time leader Betsy Phillips with 550
career victories is still recuperating from a broken and may not be
able to go by race time but Lisa Krom, who not only is the
defending champion, but the winning driver in the last two Lady Godiva’s,
is anxious to go at it again.
Other possible participants include former Lady Godiva
champions, Jody Riedel, Jennifer Lappe, Terry Donnelly, and Charlene (Sherry
Urquidez) Cushing.
Maybe with a Monday afternoon race date Stacy Chiodo
may be able to once again participate. She was a perennial competitor in the
Lady Godiva but now with a hard-hitting stable of her own hopefully
she won’t be too busy to join in again.
Some of the most famous women drivers who have competed in
North America are the long-retired Bea Farber; the forever youthful, Jackie
Ingrassia and, of course, the Canadian pioneer Mildred Williams.
Although Farber hasn’t driven competitively since 1995 she
still leads the pack with 1801 winners while Ingrassia is the reigning queen
with 1096 driving victories. And Williams, with over 500 wins during the 1950’s
and 1960’s, was instrumental in getting the United States Trotting Association
and the Canadian Trotting Association to license women to drive in
harness races and the Mildred Williams Lady Drivers Series was
named in her honor.
Any lady with an “A” or “P” driving license from the
USTA or Standardbred Canada interested in competing in the Lady Godiva
is urged to contact Warner in the race office at Monticello Raceway by
calling 845-794-4100x557. Or they can call the tracks publicity office at ext.
455.
