Hervé Arthur Filion, (February 1, 1940 – June 22, 2017) was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
harness racing driver. He was the brother of Yves Filion who drove and trained the 1988
North America Cup
The North America Cup is an annual harness racing event for 3-year-old standardbred pacing horses which is held at Woodbine Mohawk Park in Campbellville, Ontario, Canada. The race replaced the Queen City Pace run from 1964 to 1983. From 1984 to ...
winner; and the brother of Henri Filion (1941–1997) who died from his injuries following a racing accident at Hippodrome Aylmer, Quebec; and the uncle of Sylvain Filion who won the 1999 Harness Racing World Driving Championship .
Born in Angers, Quebec, in 1940 Filion became the first driver to win over 400 races in a year and was able to achieve this accomplishment 14 more times. Filion is second all-time in career wins in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
, with 15,180. He was voted the
a record ten times.
In 2000, Filion pleaded guilty to charges that he failed to file New York State Income Tax Returns, ending a five-year investigation into race-fixing.
Filion officially retired in October 2012, his final win at
Rideau Carleton Raceway in
Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
.
In 1971, he was made an Officer of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the cen ...
and was awarded the
Lou Marsh Trophy. In 1976, he was inducted into the
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.
The ...
and the
United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame.
Filion died on June 22, 2017, from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
References
External links
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame citation* https://nypost.com/2017/06/22/herve-filion-the-goat-of-harness-racing-dead-at-77/
1940 births
2017 deaths
French Quebecers
Lou Marsh Trophy winners
Canadian harness racing drivers
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees
United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame inductees
Officers of the Order of Canada
Sportspeople from Gatineau
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