Herve Filion: A Legend Returns
Herve Filion, the winningest driver in the harness racing history is approaching 15,000 career wins. Recently reinstated and licensed in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Ohio, the 62-year-old Filion had not driven since August of 1995 when his license was revoked at Yonkers. The harness world had not heard much in recent years from the busiest man in the sports history (nearly 80,000 drives).
Some facts for those who may be unfamiliar with Herve, a man who most certainly was the hardest working individual in the sport from the late 1960s until the early 1990s. He was born in Angers, Quebec on January 2, 1940. At the end of the 1994 season, he had more than TWICE as many wins as the next closest competitor(14,525 to 7,132 for Carmine Abbatiello).
When he was elected to the Hall Of Fame in 1975, he was the youngest to ever to get in. In 1990, John Campbell, also 35 at the time, took that distinction away a couple of months younger than Herve at the moment of induction. Herve won the HTA (Harness Tracks Of America) award for top driver of the year-NINE times!! No other driver has ever won it more than three times.
From 1969-1974-he won the HTA award six consecutive years! He has led all of North America in wins on 16 occasions. His-and anyones'-first ever $3 million season was in 1974-$3,474,315.
Herve's first United States drive was in 1961.His path went from Vernon Downs-Delaware Valley-Freehold-Liberty Bell-Yonkers Roosevelt and the occasional Grand Circuit. In 1988, he posted the record for drives in a year that still stands-4386.
In 1988-89 he became the first to win 1600 races-combined- in back to back years: 1988-798 1989-814 (total 1612)
Herve is the only harness driver to ever win the Hickok belt for Professional Athlete of The Month. He was the first to hit the 800 mark in 1989 with 814 victories.
Some of his best horses include: Dorunrun Blugrass, Nansemond, Grades Singing, Davids Pass, L Dees Trish, Hot Hitter, Willow Bust, Anxious Robby, Eastern Skipper, Cheyenne Tomahawk, Sandman Hanover.
Herve raced many horses for his own Capital Hill Farms for years, with as many as 130 horses at one time in that stable.The two leading dash-winning drivers ever are--Herve Filion and Walter Case, Jr. Their respective winning percentages career: Herve 19%, Case 26%.
Herve says: "Let me first say that I have done nothing wrong on the racetrack. I never told anyone to bet or not to bet. My conscience is clear. That was a very bad time for me. I had no appetite, no ambition, and I was just depressed. Basically, I was just walking around a lot. For about two and a half years I would say I was like that. I played golf a lot. Thank goodness for my family and freinds. I never would have made it through without them."
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