Hervé Filion
Hervé Arthur Filion, was a Canadian harness racing driver. He was the brother of Yves Filion who drove and trained the 1988 North America Cup winner; and the brother of Henri Filion 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, with 15,180. He was voted the Harness Tracks of America Driver of the Year 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.
In 1971, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy. In 1976, he was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and the United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame.
Filion died on June 22, 2017 from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
