Lachance riding high after Breeders' Crown

Mike Lachance

MILLSTONE - There was a time when Mike Lachance annually ranked among the top money-winning drivers in harness racing.

Usually, he placed among the best three, and twice in his Hall of Fame career he was No. 1. Those days may be gone, but Lachance couldn't be happier, according to a press release from Harness Racing Communications.

Lachance, who will turn 56 in December, is now racing a reduced schedule. However, he's maintaining a level of excellence in the sport that has seen him head to the winner's circle more than 9,800 times in his career and rank seventh in history. He also earned more than $170 million, a figure that trails only fellow Hall of Famer John Campbell, according to the press release.

Turning his attention to racing a select group of young horses on a regular basis, bypassing the grind of racing nightly during the winter, he focuses on the stakes season. His new approach paid off handsomely on Oct. 28 when he won three Breeders' Crown races at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, according to the press release.

The three victories on a single Breeders' Crown night equaled the event's record, according to the press release.

"I'm exactly where I want to be right now," Lachance said in the press release. "The last couple years, I've kind of slowed down. I don't want to drive too much in the winter. I'd rather spend a little more time with my family."

He continued, "I like to pick some young horses when they come from Florida and take them right through the year to the Breeders' Crown, like the other night."

Lachance said overnight racing is a good way to make a living, "but it's more for the younger guys."

"I went through that for many years," he said. "Now, I only drive with people I want, more on my terms. As long as I'm healthy, that's what I want to do."

One of the horses Lachance drove all year is Breeders' Crown winner Calgary Hanover, a 2-year-old filly pacer, in nine of her 12 races this season, according to the press release.

"It makes me feel good to work with young horses, and I think that's where I can be the most productive," Lachance said in the press release. "I like to help build something that's going to be great."

He also drove Possess The Magic, a horse who won the Breeders' Crown for 2-year-old filly trotters and who is trained by his longtime friend Ron Gurfein. Possess The Magic has won nine of 13 starts and set the world record of 1:54.2 for her age and sex, according to the press release.

No stranger to winning major races with Gurfein, the two teamed up to win three Hambletonians, one in 1994 with Victory Dream, another in 1996 with Continentalvictory and the third in 1999 with Self Possessed, according to the press release.

"It's always special with Ronnie," Lachance said. "We go back a long way. I don't think too many drivers and trainers have been together as long as we have."

Lachance said he and Gurfein have confidence in each other.

"Whenever I don't like something on a horse, I tell him," Lachance said. "If it's something he doesn't agree with, he'll tell me.

"At the end," he continued, "we come up with an answer to every problem."

At 26 wins, Lachance ranks second to Campbell for the most wins in the Breeders' Crown series. In addition to winning with Possess The Magic and Calgary Hanover, Lachance won the Breeders' Crown for 2-year-old male pacers with Charley Barley, according to the press release.

"First, I was thrilled because I was down to drive in seven of the eight Breeders' Crown races that night," Lachance said. "At this stage of my life, that they put me down on seven of eight - I think is flattering.

"I knew I had some long shots in there," he said, "but the three I won with I thought had a shot to win."

Lachance added, "It was a special night, for sure. The Breeders' Crowns are the Breeders' Crowns, and they're not easy to win. If you wind up with three in the same night, that's great."

A native of Quebec, Lachance has enjoyed numerous honors during his career. He drove a single-season record of 770 wins in 1986 (a mark that has since been broken) and was the regular driver behind two Horses of the Year, Matt's Scooter in 1989 and Continentalvictory in 1996. He has also won the Little Brown Jug five times, tying a record set by Billy Haughton.