SC Rewind: World Mark For Lachance

In this week's Rewind Robert Smith takes a look back 30 years ago and recalls a record breaking year in the career of one of the finest horsemen to ever don a pair of silks. Also included this week is a 'mystery' photo taken many years ago and readers are encouraged to submit their suggestions to name the eight individuals.

Michel Lachance is shown in this 1986 photo at Blue Bonnets, the season he set a new world record scoring 770 trips to the winner's circle

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​Late last year, in fact just before Christmas, one of the great horsemen of the modern era announced his retirement from driving. Michel (or "Mike" to some) Lachance ​made it official that he was hanging up his helmet and driving silks and laying his whip aside. His decision was not being made because he couldn't continue on, it was a matter of it just being the right time to step aside and enjoy the sport from a different perspective.

While his brilliant career was a study in excellence marked by highlights and record accomplishments, his 1986 season was indeed one of his best. By any measure it was one of the greatest single season performances ever by a driver. With so many lifetime achievements it is difficult to single out any one. Today I have chosen to recall the magical year of 1986 which saw Lachance set a new single season record when he scored an amazing 770 wins.

1986: Lachance Sets new Season's Record For Wins - New World Champion At 770

Thirty years ago back in 1986, Michel "Mike" Lachance, the then young 35-year-old horseman from St. Augustin, Quebec set a new single season's record for the number of wins by a driver at 770. His record setting performance surpassed the one set by fellow Quebec native Herve Filion in 1974 when he made 637 visits to the winner's enclosure. Lachance passed the 637 win mark by late October thus indicating that his season total would far surpass his boyhood idol's one season record. A month later while competing at Yonkers Raceway Lachance reached another milestone that he really didn't know existed. On this day, he established a world record with his 708th victory erasing the world record of 707 set in 1983 by West German driver Heinz Wewering. Until just before this date, he had assumed that Filion also held the world record.

In the 12-year span that separated the two record setting years, many changes in the sport had taken place. A rapid increase in purse money being raced for resulted in Lachance's season's earnings amounting to $3 million more than Filion's take in 1974. Lachance was about 10 years younger than Herve and the two achieved their milestone years at about the same age with Mike at 35 and Herve one year younger.

In an interview at the time of Lachance's record setting performance, Filion stated that he had not expected to see his record broken. Now convinced, he stated that with more racing opportunities he could foresee the day when a driver would win over 800 races in a season. Even small factors such as races per program add to the possibilities.

Despite his young years, Lachance had been around the racing scene for a lengthy period of time. After starting his driving career at the small track at St. Scholastique, Quebec at age 12, he began his full-time driving career at the age of 17, first competing at Quebec City. From here he branched out to the larger Quebec tracks and to many on the U.S. side of the border.

Both Lachance and Filion shared many similarities, each coming from large French Canadian, Quebec-based families devoted to harness racing and containing many driving brothers. Mike always looked up to his older brother Gilles and his father Gedeon as role models for his career. Five of the six sons of Francoise and Gedeon Lachance became harness drivers, following in their father's footsteps. Gilles, Gaetan (shot to death in a Chicago restaurant in 1972 ) Andre, Michel and Pierre.

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On November 30, 1986 a special day was held at Blue Bonnets to recognize and honour Mike on his career year. Part of the day involved driving in 11 races and adding four more victories to his record-breaking total. He was then presented with a gold watch and a painting by Blue Bonnets President Andre Marier after which he delivered a very short speech. Typical of his low-key approach to talking about his own accomplishments part of his speech stated that "I had a speech prepared for today but I was so busy winning races that I forgot it."

Lachance told a reporter "driving horses is like watching TV for me. Speaking in front of people, now that's hard. I've been lucky all my life not talking too much, and I'm not anxious to change."

For Mike and his family the special day held in his honour at Blue Bonnets was described as "a homecoming, and a special treat for everyone." Many in attendance had watched him closely as he climbed the ladder of success for 15 years prior to leaving for the New York tracks in 1982.

Especially proud was brother Gilles who said "he got his start with me, his talent was obvious early; he was like Gretzky. You either have it or you don't." At this time Mike's father was 73 and was still jogging a number of horses that he owned.

​Lachance displays the oil painting he received from Blue Bonnets officials

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Following the busy day in Montreal, he flew back to New York to drive in that evening's races. The man who throughout his career wrote much in the record book, wrote yet another chapter that day at Blue Bonnets.

Mystery Photo

The following photo taken many years ago in connection with a Powder Puff Derby requires some identification. I recognize just one individual so whatever names the audience can provide will be helpful.

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