Sylvain Filion kicked off the Monday (Oct. 23) evening card at Woodbine Mohawk Park with a win, earning his 10,000th career win milestone in the process.
Filion, 54, entered Monday’s card just a win shy of the major milestone and wasted little time in enjoying the moment by winning the evening’s first-race. In the first edition of the $17,000 Harvest Series for the evening, Filion steered Jean Tourigny trainee One More Bet to a five-length achievement in 1:52.3 over Always A Catch (Jody Jamieson) and Peeler (Tyler Borth).
One More Bet ($3.10) was third through the :27.1 quarter and to the half in :56.1 before Filion sent her first over. After the three-quarters in 1:25, One More Bet achieved the lead and kept on going to win. The freshman daughter of All Bets Off and the Sportswriter mare P L Kahluaa earned her second career victory for owner and breeder Les Ecuries Morel Inc. of Mirabel, Que.
In addition to banking an excess of $138 million in career earnings, the Milton, Ont. resident and Canadian-based driver has earned four O'Brien Awards and a World Driving Championship title during his career. Becoming just the 23rd driver in North America to achieve 10,000 victories, Filion joins the elite company of his uncle, Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame driver Herve Filion, in the feat.
Although multiple Canadian-born drivers have reached 10,000 wins, Filion is the first driver exclusively based in Canada to reach the milestone.
“I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would ever even come close to achieving what I did,” said Filion, who recalled his first driving win. “Supreme Jade in Ottawa at Rideau Carleton that was my first win [in 1987], it was just an overnight, it’s a while ago.”
Born in Angers, Que., Filion began his driving career in 1987 and worked his way to the top of the Quebec racing scene for many years. Filion tried the Woodbine circuit for a brief period in the late-1990s and then returned permanently to the nation’s top circuit in 2008.
Filion’s career accomplishments include winning the 1999 World Driving Championship, four O’Brien Awards as Canada’s Driver of the Year (2012, 2013, 2015, 2016) and multiple Woodbine driving titles.
While reflecting on the milestone victory, Filion took a moment to chuckle at what the future might have in store.
“Ten thousand is pretty nice, but the next 10,000 might be a little trickier.”
Filion has shown no signs of slowing down in recent years. The veteran reinsman has already surpassed $5 million in seasonal earnings for the fifth consecutive year and 13th time overall. He also sits in the top five for wins this season at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Doug McNair and Radical Legacy took the second Harvest Series division for Ontario-sired freshman fillies to earn her fifth victory in a row.
Sitting third throughout the mile with panels in :29, :59.2 and 1:29 set by Tea Lake (Rick Zeron), Doug McNair and the Gregg McNair trainee waited until the stretch to strike. The pair used a last quarter in :28 to overtake the leader and win by a length at the wire in 1:57.3. Tea Lake had to settle for second and pocket-sitting Shetrotsalot (Trevor Henry) took the show spot.
Radical Legacy (Muscle Mass - Radical Janey) is co-owned by Ross and Brett Holmes as she made her career record five-for-five with $28,950 banked. She paid $3 to win.
P L Rainbow Dash took the third Harvest Series with Bob McClure in the bike for her first career triumph.
McClure and the Katie Huskinson student sat fourth through panels in :28.1, :58.3 and 1:27.3 before they started pedaling towards the leader in the final turn. In the stretch, P L Rainbow Dash passed the leading triad and kept on going to win by 2-3/4 lengths in 1:56.2. Muscone (Anthony Haughan) followed her efforts from fifth to take second and Sandoon (Bruce Richardson) ended in third.
A daughter of Resolve, the freshman filly moved her career bankroll to $57,102 for owner and breeder Prince Lee Acres.
The final rendition of the Harvest Series for the evening was taken by Tamara Hanover off of a pocket trip orchestrated by Jody Jamieson for trainer Melissa Lamoureux.
Tamara Hanover took the early lead to the opening panel in :28.1 before favoured Wicked Leader (Trevor Henry) took command. After panels in :58 and 1:27.1, Jamieson popped Tamara Hanover from the pocket in the stretch to challenge the leader. Down to the wire, Tamara Hanover breezed to win in 1:54.1 by three-quarters of a length. Wicked Leader took second and Definingthe Moment (McClure) grabbed third.
The daughter of Artspeak - Transfer Hanover is owned by 1187422 Ontario Inc. as she earned her fourth victory in six starts. She paid $8.20 to win.
Pilon Upsets In Billings Series; Amateur Drivers Donate To OSAS
Off as the second longest shot on the board, Marc Andre Pilon picked up the drive on Bettor B Going and barrelled from last to first to take a $16,000 Billings Drivers Series event.
Grand Poobah (Charles Longo), the 2-1 favourite, fired for the lead to a :26.4 first quarter with Final Cheeserecipe (Anthony Verruso) rolling alongside. Final Cheeserecipe slid to the front into the backstretch and soon encountered first-over pressure from Mighty Mach (Nello Guglielmi) to a :56.1 half that persisted all through the final turn.
Mighty Mach got the better of Final Cheeserecipe past three-quarters in 1:24.3 and took a narrow lead into the stretch. All the way along, Pilon sat seventh with Bettor B Going and sprung from off the pegs to the center of the track spinning for home and overhauled his rivals with a :28.1 final quarter to spurt to a three-length victory in 1:53.3. Instantaneous (Robert Ciavardini) rallied wide on the track to take second with Mighty Mach holding third from Joe Dimagio (Matt Zuccarello) in fourth.
Wilford Perrault trains Bettor B Going, a seven-year-old gelding by Bettors Delight, for owners Grant & Joanne Curnow. He paid $31.70 to win.
The American Harness Drivers Club (AHDC), on the heels of a $1,000 donation to Ronald McDonald House presented earlier this week, made another donation while on the road Monday night at Mohawk.
AHDC President Anthony Verruso led the presentation of a $1,000 donation to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society (OSAS) following the third race Billings Drivers Series event featuring several AHDC club members. The OSAS is a charitable organization founded in 1996 focused on providing homes for retired and Standardbreds not in competition within Ontario.
Verruso (pictured right, holding cheque in blue, gold and white colours) was joined by fellow AHDC and Billings Drivers Series members along with representatives of the OSAS for the presentation.
(Delvin Miller Harness Drivers Association display cheque was for presentational purposes only.)
“Providing for aftercare programs is important for our sport,” said Verruso. “The OSAS works hard to give these horses places to live out their years. Making sure we can give that sort of future to our horses is so important.”
Monday’s donation is just another of many thousands of dollars the AHDC has disbursed to charities in 2023. As amateur drivers, members of the AHDC do not retain the driver’s share of purse earnings from races. That money is reserved for charitable causes, including those supported by the AHDC this year like racehorse aftercare, cancer research and aiding those with housing insecurity.
To view Monday's harness racing results, click the following link: Monday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(With files from Woodbine)
Congratulations Sylvain nice…
Congratulations Sylvain nice milestone! Also nice to see two of your biggest supporters out for the photo. Rich and Jean.