In his final performance as a professional harness racing driver, Canadian legend Herve Filion scored three wins on Sunday night at Rideau Carleton Raceway near Ottawa, Ont.
Filion's first victory came on his first drive of the night in Race 4 with Done Fooln Witcha, owned by Pierre Charette of Gatineau, Que. and trained by Luc Blais. He was back in the winner's circle two races later getting his pciture taken with Credit Balance, trained by co-owner Jamie Copley and co-owned by Jacob & Ryan Copley of Kenmore, Ont. along with Evan Gillis of Inverness, N.S.
What could be Filion's final win came in an unconventional manner. In Race 8, Herve finished second with Sandpiper Volo but was placed first after the winner Going For It was disqualified for causing interference.
The 72-year-old native of Angers, Que., who now lives in New York with his family, will retire with 15,183 lifetime wins - the second highest total for a driver or a jockey in horse racing - and over $88 million in purse money. He was 15 times the world’s leading driver, 30 times in the top five, seven times the world’s leading money earner, and he was the youngest driver ever to enter the Hall of Fame at age 35.
"I'm happy that I'm going to race there on Sunday in my last hurrah with all my friends," said Filion to Trot Radio's Norm Borg last week. "These will be my last professional drives, at the Ottawa Valley - where I started. I won't race, I'm retired. I'm 72, working on 73...I feel good, but, you know, I've had enough racing horses. Right now, I'm spending a lot of time with the family."
For results from Sunday's card, click the following link: Sunday Results - Rideau Carleton Raceway.