Samuel Fillion went back-to-back as leading driver at Grand River Raceway, and Jodie Cullen earned her first training title at the track since 2022 as the season at the Elora, Ont. oval concluded on Wednesday, Sept. 16.

Fillion’s two wins in the finale — including the last race with Earlybird Special ($8) — took his yearly Grand River total to 56. The reinsman, who won his first Grand River title last season, defeated Austin Sorrie (45) by a margin of 11, with Jason Ryan third on 34 wins. Fillion, coming off a career-best season of 363 overall victories, is 250-for-1,504 this year. He also led Grand River in earnings.

Cullen, Grand River’s leading trainer of 2022, returned to the top of the standings with a 23-win campaign, beating Luc Blais and Jamie Copley by 10 and 11 wins, respectively.  The trainer’s effort at Grand River this season is part of a nation-leading total of 203 wins. She is second in Canada in earnings with $2.77 million in 1,113 starts.

Five $10,000 fifth-leg Prospect Series contests for three-year-old trotters featured on the closing-night program.

Crunchintheodds ($2.70) impressed with a commanding 1:54.2 victory in the first division for colts and geldings for driver Jonathan Drury and trainer Blake MacIntosh. MacIntosh also won the second filly split with Life Is Great ($2.60) in 1:56.3 with Sorrie aboard. Sorrie took the other dash for males as Lifting Legend ($7) stopped the clock in 1:57 for Lindsey Kerr. Greek Manalishi ($7.10), trained and driven by Natasha Day, took the first filly contest in 1:57. Lookstobemagic ($7.60) completed the Prospect Series action with a 1:56.2 victory for driver Lorne House and trainer Brent Belore in the final filly flight.

To view Wednesday’s harness racing results, click the following link: Wednesday Results - Grand River Raceway.

(Standardbred Canada; photo of Raceway Manager Christine Fairhall presenting Samuel Fillion with the award for leading driver)