Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing's

Driver of the Month
for August 2006

Mike Lachance

One of the most well-known and talented reinsmen in the sport today, Mike Lachance is the second leading money-winning driver in the history of the sport.

Mike was born on December 16, 1950 in St. Augustine, Quebec and followed his brothers, Gilles, Pierre and Andre, into the harness
racing business.

Mike secured driving titles at Blue Bonnets,
Brandywine, Batavia, Foxboro and Yonkers before moving on to the Meadowlands in 1988. He ranked among the Top 5 drivers at the Big M for 15 years, before deciding in 2005 to lessen his workload in order to spend more time with his family.

Mike Lachance

Mike has a long list of accomplishments that includes two Meadowlands Pace victories,
1988 with Matt’s Scooter and 2003 with Allamerican Theory, and four
Hambletonian wins. In the 1990s he teamed with trainer Ron Gurfein for three of his Hambletonian victories: Victory Dream (1994), Continentalvictory (1996) and Self Possessed (1999). He picked up his fourth in 2003 with longshot Amigo Hall, a Blair Burgess trainee.

Lachance’s son, Patrick, is a successful driver and trainer in his own right, and his nephew, Luc Ouellette, consistently ranks among the top drivers in North America.   Mike and Pat produced the first father-son deadheat in The Meadowland's track history on December 11, 2002. Patrick, driving Brandyz Baby, caught Mike and Big Duchess at the wire and shared the 1:58.4 win in the ninth race that evening.

Mike was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1995.

Mike scores with Continental Victory in the 1996 Hambletonian

Winning the 1999 Hambletonian with Self Possessed

                           Mike wins the 1994 Hamblentonian with Victory Dream

Mike Lachance's Career Statistics (through August 1, 2006)
Year     Starts    Wins   2nds   3rds     Earnings     UDRS
2006      1001        74      91      102      $1,960,883      .158
2005       901        71      100      104      $3,181,572      .179
2004      1620      180      159      189      $6,696,056      .205
2003      1876      208      194      216      $7,876,334      .207
2002      1965      225      239      238      $8,549,281      .222
2001      2093      237      253      248      $10,700,483    .220
2000      2041      256      250      246      $9,067,723      .234
1999      1984      261      267      236      $9,295,441      .246
1998      2057      302      278      259      $9,935,699      .264
1997      2161      347      307      266      $9,205,388      .281
1996      1930      285      238      245      $8,400,011      .258
1995      2102      313      262      259      $6,462,190      .259
1994      2166      301      283      260      $6,255,284      .252
1993      2061      247      268      262      $3,906,478      .234
1992      1980      299      287      231      $6,551,897      .270
1991      2050      290      275      240      $5,887,933      .255
1990      2414      342      285      294      $7,166,233      .248
1989      2183      369      314      267      $7,477,749      .290
1988      1507      239      197      184      $5,663,378      .272
1987      3073      715      514      396      $5,963,008      .369
1986      3597      770      562      456      $6,473,952      .343
1985      2764      592      418      352      $5,864,785      .341
1984      2407      466      366      319      $3,895,227      .322
1983      2231      353      300      284      $3,189,984      .275
1982      1218      167      194      170      $1,881,384      .272
1981      1382      204      179      174      $874,102         .262
1980      1596      241      223      204      $982,506         .271
1979      1090      179      164      132      $659,328         .288
1978       858      140      149      128      $590,669         .309
1977       873     174      153      101      $560,321         .335
Total                9,800                          $167,663,752

2006 Archives
July: Sam Widger
June: Yannick Gingras
May: Rick Zeron
March: George Brennan
February: Brent Holland
January: Mark MacDonald