Mildred Williams has never wavered from her belief that women should be allowed to compete alongside men in horse racing.
A pioneer for women in harness racing, Williams is championing an entirely different cause now as the namesake for a female-only drivers' series that is raising funds for women's related charities across North America.
The Mildred Williams International Driving Series comes to Raceway Park on Sunday, honoring the 90-year-old "first lady" of female harness racing.
Proceeds from the event titled "Harness the Hope" will benefit The Victory Center and promote breast cancer awareness.
Racing starts at 6 p.m. Sunday, with the clubhouse opening at 5 p.m. Those wearing pink will be granted free admission.
"We're just so excited to be able to host this kind of event," said Debbie Stinson, Raceway Park's director of group sales.
Raceway Park officials plan to raffle numerous donated items in conjunction with at least one all-female race that evening.
"It depends on the draw and how many horses we have entering for that night," Stinson said. "I'm really hoping for two [all-women races]."
Now in its second year, the series makes 37 stops across much of the Northeast, Ohio, Michigan and eastern Canada. Williams, who retired from harness racing in 1973 due to injuries sustained in a car accident, has been on hand to present the winner's award at a few legs of the series but is not expected to be in attendance Sunday night.
The Canadian-born Williams earned more than 400 wins in her distinguished 21-year racing career that began in the early 1950s. Yet it wasn't until 1968 that she was granted a license by the Canadian and United States Trotting Associations because of her gender.
"They were trying to completely prevent women from getting licensed as drivers," Williams said during an appearance in 1964 on the syndicated TV show To Tell the Truth.
"It was a cause I felt very strongly about and had to take it up. It was about as ridiculous as trying to prevent women from voting for president or prime minister."
Williams continued to train horses even after her racing career was over up until 1984. She now resides with her daughter in Canada.
First Published June 7, 2007, 9:15 a.m.
