Filion passes

[ldiatone]

Saying farewell to a #harnessracing legend. Hall of Famer Herve Filion passes at age 77

[Ray2000]

I choose to remember him coming back to the Adios Winners' circle with Hot Hitter, standing on the sulky
rather than the 1995 mess at Yonkers.

The man could drive...

[jocko699]

RIP Herve

[Southbeach]

I choose to remember him coming back to the Adios Winners' circle with Hot Hitter, standing on the sulky
rather than the 1995 mess at Yonkers.

The man could drive...]

I agree. I will remember him as the greatest driver I ever saw. No one could keep a horse without cover alive better than him.

[theiman]

He was a workaholic. Almost always at Freehold in the afternoon and Roosevelt/Yonkers at night. Didn't take Sundays off either, was at the Bell or Brandywine on Sunday nights.

RIP Herve :(

[Sea Biscuit]

Rest in peace Herve.

[pandy]

Herve was one of the main reasons why I fell in love with harness racing when I was 17. I only had one conversation with him and he was very friendly and interesting to talk to, a colorful character who promoted harness racing all over North America. As a driver, he may have been the best ever. He was much more tactical than most drivers, as he would try to put the horse he had to beat in a bad spot, often pushing them wide, or boxing a horse in. And he could keep a horse alive on the rim better than anyone. He won a lot of races on a long first over grind, often parked the mile, but with his soft hands, he was able to save horse and he would measure the win in the final yards. Herve was truly a master reinsman.

After a stakes race at Roosevelt, where he got beat on the wire by the great Joe O'Brien, I said to Herve, "He never used the whip."

Herve raised his hands in front of his face and mimicked O'Brien's style. With a look of astonishment on his face, Herve said, "He just raises his hands up here and jiggles them!"

[Jess Hawsen Arown]

]

I agree. I will remember him as the greatest driver I ever saw. No one could keep a horse without cover alive better than him.

He was the CREEPING DEATH. Those words are said with admiration. His horses would pace up first over with absolutely no authority. They would come down the stretch looking totally unenthusiastic. But they never went away. The race was over, and Herve's horse was the winner. Why? How? They just were.

[DSB]

There will be a viewing in Freehold on Wed. I will stop by and pay my respects.

All things considered, he was the greatest driver I ever saw.

[AltonKelsey]

Shame these guys never write a tell all book. Even in their last days.

[DSB]

There was a big turnout for the viewing yesterday. Someone who was there for much of the five hours estimated at least 1,000 stopped by to pay their respects.

A procession drove from the funeral home in downtown Freehold to the Raceway where Filion's son, Brandon, gave a stirring winners' circle eulogy to his father before hundreds of fans. A white horse-drawn hearse then took Herve's coffin for a "final mile" around the Freehold oval as the PA system played Elvis Presley's version of "My Way."

A good number of drivers - both past and present - were in attendance. I saw Cat Manzi, John Campbell, Harold Kelly, Mike LaChance, Dan Dube, as well as Herve's brother Rheo. There were undoubtedly others that I just didn't recognize.

All in all a very fitting tribute to a man who many considered the greatest harness driver ever.

[pandy]

There was a big turnout for the viewing yesterday. Someone who was there for much of the five hours estimated at least 1,000 stopped by to pay their respects.

A procession drove from the funeral home in downtown Freehold to the Raceway where Filion's son, Brandon, gave a stirring winners' circle eulogy to his father before hundreds of fans. A white horse-drawn hearse then took Herve's coffin for a "final mile" around the Freehold oval as the PA system played Elvis Presley's version of "My Way."

A good number of drivers - both past and present - were in attendance. I saw Cat Manzi, John Campbell, Harold Kelly, Mike LaChance, Dan Dube, as well as Herve's brother Rheo. There were undoubtedly others that I just didn't recognize.

All in all a very fitting tribute to a man who many considered the greatest harness driver ever.


Thanks for the update. I wish I could have been there.