Have drive, will travel could be Samuel Fillion's motto.
For just over two years, he's been criss-crossing Quebec and Ontario, competing at several tracks to make a name for himself as a driver.
"I've got 240,000 kilometres on my Nissan Sentra, which I bought new in 2020," said the 25-year-old native of Mont Joli, Que.
So far, so good.
In only his second year as a full-time driver, he had more than $1 million in purse earnings and 160 wins in 2022, both significant advances from his 2021 totals (100 wins, $574,000).
For the second consecutive year, Fillion is also a finalist for the O'Brien Award as Canadian harness racing's Future Star.
"My goal was to surpass $1 million and I did. This year, I'm shooting for $1.5 (million)," he said in an interview from his base in Guelph, Ont.
Fillion said 2022 was significant for him in other ways.
He won the Quebec and Eastern Ontario Driving Championship at Hippodrome 3R in the summer and participated in the 2022 National Driving Championship in Alberta in November, finishing seventh behind winner Doug McNair.
"It wasn't the result I hoped for but it was fun to meet and drive with guys like Gilles Barrieau, who I've been watching a long time," he said.
About a year ago, Fillion got a call from trainer Luc Blais asking if he'd be interested in helping prepare and train the Determination Stable roster.
Fillion jumped at the chance to be involved with a stable with so many top horses and well-bred prospects, and is there six mornings a week. He even got to drive a few of the horses in races, winning an Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots event with Star Power Hanover.
"When you work horses like Forbidden Trade and Enavant, you see what a top horse is. That's what I'd like to drive. And I've noticed that I now can tell who the good colts will be."
Fillion's main racetrack in 2022 was Rideau Carleton Raceway in Ottawa, where he's familiar with everyone and knows the horses. He'd like to be more active on the southern Ontario circuit and perhaps do a bit less travelling in 2023, but that will depend on how the year unfolds.
"When I race at Rideau on Sundays, I sometimes get home at 4 a.m. but I'll still be at the (Blais) stable on Monday morning," he said.
Fillion is looking forward to attending the O'Brien banquet in person this time, because unlike a year ago, "I now know a lot of the people who will be there, and it will be nice to be in their company."
The O’Brien Awards Black Tie Gala is Canadian harness racing’s most prestigious event and Standardbred Canada is pleased to announce that the 2022 awards will be a ‘live’ event at the Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale Hotel on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023.
(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Paul Delean)