Herve Filion, who will always be remembered for standing in the seat of the sulky following a number of his major wins, made a long overdue trip to the winner’s circle on Saturday afternoon at Pocono Downs
following an off-the-pace score with a pacing mare named Marley.
Filion, who is now a career winner of 15,175 races, sat sixth for most of the mile before tipping off the rail and following cover from third-over as the field moved into the final quarter of the mile. The leaders tired in the late stages of the mile and Filion and Marley managed to rally to win by three-quarters of a length in a time of 1:56.
It was the only drive on yesterday’s program for the 69-year-old sulky sitter, who was making his 11th start this season. He went 0-for-35 last year, but visited the winner’s circle eight times throughout the course of the 2007 campaign.
Filion, who is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a past winner of the Lou Marsh Award as Canada’s Athlete of the Year, is a member of the Canadian and U.S. Halls of Fame. He has driven the winners of more than $88 million in his career.