John Gilmour, a nine-time Monticello Raceway driving champion, passed away on July 5 in Monticello, New York, and on July 9 the raceway and many of his fellow horsemen eulogized him and his many accomplishments over his six-decade career at the ‘Mighty M.’

At the service, Gilmour’s all-time favourite horse, My Buddy Chimo, was walked from the paddock to middle of the racetrack in front of the grandstand by fellow horsemen and family members. Once there, they were joined by a horde of fellow drivers, more family members, and longtime friends. They all gathered around My Buddy Chimo as ‘Zeke’ Parker placed a blanket on the horse and the emcee spoke of Gilmour’s prowess in the sulky.

The blanket had copy on both sides. One side included his race wins and congratulated him on a great career, while the other side had a tongue-in-cheek comment of Gilmour’s fierce competiveness when he competed in a horse race.

It was well known by his fellow drivers to never try to wrestle the lead from him once he was in command, and the statement on the blanket extolled that sentiment.

Known around the backstretch as ‘Sep,’ Gilmour had accumulated 4,492 driving victories in his six-decade career. He was one of the four famous Gilmour brothers which included Buddy, George and Lloyd. Collectively, they drove over 14,250 winners, mostly during the heyday of harness racing where daily two-track driving was never an option.

Among the members of his family that were on hand for the ceremony included his daughters, Janet and Heather; his son, Michael; granddaughter, Megan; his ex-wife, April Karkos; and his longtime girlfriend, Vita Yakin. Cousins Dean Gilmour and Mark Gilmour also attended, as did several nieces, nephews and grandchildren.

Parker took the microphone and told the assembled crowd of some of his experiences while racing with Gilmour. “I’d park him and he’d park me, but after the races we’d go across the street and have a beer together,” Parker said. “John was a tough competitor on the racetrack, but off the track he was just the opposite, a real mellow easy going guy.”

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Photos from Monticello, courtesy of Geri Schwarz, appear below.