"I still remember when I was here in 2016 when I won Future Star, and I saw Sylvain Filion winning Driver of the Year, that was a dream for me. I never thought I could reach it that quick."
Louis-Philippe Roy took home his first title as Canada’s Driver of the Year at this past Saturday's 2018 O'Brien Awards, and his rise to the top of the driving ranks has been nothing short of meteoric.
The O’Brien Award honour for Roy's 2018 season is a result of a career year that included 416 wins with total purse earnings in excess of $7.4 million. He topped the Canadian driver charts for both wins and earnings and was the leading driver in both wins and earnings at Woodbine Racetrack and Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Roy recorded his 1,000th career driving victory with HP Titania Runner on August 10 at Woodbine Mohawk Park in an Ontario Sires Stakes event, and he was also the winner of the Lampman Cup for 2018 as he finished at the top of the drivers’ standings in the Ontario Sires Stakes.
The regular driver for O’Brien Award winners Shower Play and Jimmy Freight, Roy was happy to hear his name called by harness racing legend John Campbell, who fittingly made the presentation after stating to the audience that he predicts the two finalists -- Roy and Bob McClure -- will be making repeat appearances at the awards in this category for years to come.
"I was joking with Kathy Wade [about] half a year ago and said if I end up winning an O'Brien I will have reached all I want to do in harness racing...I'll open a restaurant and just retire from racing.
"I still think I have a little bit more to achieve in harness racing, so I'll give it a few more years," Roy said with a laugh.
Roy also discusses his driving highlights of 2018, his professional relationship with Trainer of the Year Richard Moreau and the lesser known horses from the past year he found the most rewarding.
This is the third in a series of several post-event video interviews with O'Brien Award finalists, sponsored by Horse Racing Alberta.
On Saturday, February 2, Standardbred Canada announced the winners for the 2018 O’Brien Awards, at the 30th edition of the annual O’Brien Awards Black Tie Gala held at the Hilton Mississauga / Meadowvale hotel in Mississauga, Ont. The O’Brien Awards honour Canada’s best in harness racing over the past season and are named in honour of the late Joe O’Brien, an outstanding horseman and member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. To view the full list of 2018 O'Brien Award winners, click here.