A North American harness racing legend is into his first day of retirement after winning his final race on Sunday.
Hervé Filion has won more than 15,000 races and more than $88 million in purse money, including his final win at the Rideau Carleton Raceway Sunday night.
“I started off here and I finish off here, I'm very thrilled; not only for me but for my family,” he said.
“In harness racing there's a lot of competition to drive the best horse, to have the best horse in the race so it's always a challenge, it's never dull.”
The 72-year-old Angers, Que. native has been harness racing since he was 13, a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and an Officer of the Order of Canada.
“To have a driver with this kind of history, this kind of career, this kind of record . . . to have him showing up at 72 years of age to drive amongst the top drivers in this region is absolutely tremendous,” said Gordon McDonald, president of the National Capital Region Harness Horse Association.
“He’s one of the best drivers, you don’t see that too much,” said Gilles Gendron, who’s raced against Filion. “
“Young guys, the way they drive . . . him, it’s not the same thing.”
The Filion family came to join Hervé in the winner’s circle as he moved on to the next phase of his life, which Hervé said will involve more time with them.
“He sets the bar for other people, especially people in our family,” said Hervé Filion Jr.
"This is where he was born and raised,” said son Brendon Filion. “Coming back to the track where it all began for him is an awesome feeling."
With a report from CTV Ottawa’s Katie Griffin
