Happy 75th birthday Mike Lachance
by Bob Heyden
Born on Dec. 16, 1950 in St. Augustine, QC, Mike Lachance entered the world as the son of a cattle farmer with three brothers, Gilles, Andre, and Pierre. By the time he was 12 he was already winning on the fair circuit. 1968 was his first official year winning with 19 victories for 150 starts, followed quickly by his first 100-win (105) season in 1969. Driving titles then came quickly.
A natural in the bike and a complete horseman, he raced often on the East Coast in the States before taking aim at the Yonkers/Roosevelt circuit in the early 1980s. His roll continued as be became the first driver to win 200 races at both Yonkers and Roosevelt in the same season en route to leading all of North America in wins four consecutive seasons 1984-87. He improved on Herve Filion’s then all-time record 637 wins in 1986 as well as East Germany’s Heinz Wewering’s 707 with an astounding 770.
On May 1, 1988, Lachance made the permanent move to The Meadowlands and the rest is indeed history. “Iron Mike” lived up to his nickname, and nobody drove in more Meadowlands races the rest of the century. That year of 1988 he drove Peace Corps exactly once and won the Jim Doherty (known as the Merrie Anabelle then) and handled B J Scoot to a Jug victory in his second try. Then sophomore king Goalie Jeff in 1989, who was voted 3YOCP 248-16 over Dexter Nukes, made it two straight Jugs in almost his first two tries. The 1989 HOY Matt’s Scooter was also driven by Lachance en route to a 23-30 season. The year before Lachance had time trialed Matt’s Scooter to a new world’s best 1:48.2. He was the first to lower Niatross’ 1:49.1 set eight years earlier.
Lachance still goes to the barn every morning assisting his son Patrick (50).
Mike said, “I’ve had the odd health issue here and there, but it’s important to me to show up every day. I own pieces of a couple now, it used to be a lot more.”
When Patrick was asked what his best moment was at Freehold Raceway as we approach the one year anniversary of its closing, he replied, “Shady Daisy.” That was the early 1990s Breeders Crown win with his dad in the bike.
A TOP 10 OF MIKE IN THE BIKE
1. He won the Hambletonian four times in a 10-year span: 1994, 1996, 1999, and 2003. Self Possessed, in 1999, set the then mark of 1:51.3.
2. He is the rare driver to win each leg of the Trotting Triple Crown with a filly beating the boys: the 1991 Kentucky Futurity with Whiteland Janice over Somatic (World Trotting Derby winner) and Giant Victory (Hambletonian winner), as well as Continentalvictory in both the 1996 Yonkers Trot and Hambletonian.
3. He won his last two Kentucky Futurity drives: My MVP (2012) and Creatine (2013). Mike retired in 2014.
4. He was history’s first driver to time trial a male and female to a sub 1:50 record. Caesar’s Jackpot (1:49.2) put her name among the elite boys 35 years ago like TK’s Skipper, Matt’s Scooter and Camluck that Mike had posted sub-1:50 TT records with.
5. He had a day for the ages on June 23, 1987 when he won six races in the afternoon at Yonkers and another six there at night. “I remember it well. I lost one in a tight photo and another trotter I had was home but jumped it off,” he said.
6. In 2003, at 52 years old, he was about to pull off a daily double for the ages. As in winning both the Meadowlands Pace and the Hambletonian having never before driven either horse in a race prior. All American Theory was not favored but he got him home to win the Pace going away for trainer Des Tackoor and then just three weeks later, he scored in the Hambletonian for Blair Burgess with Amigo Hall (27-1).
7. Twice he won a North America Cup in the ’90s paying over $50 both times and debuting on each horse: Safely Kept (1992) rolled by Western Hanover and Straight Path (1998) scored from the clouds.
8. Iron Mike also drove iron horses. In 1989 Goalie Jeff was 3YOPC on the strength of a 17-for-31 season with $1,682,151. HOY Matt’s Scooter went 23-for-30 with $1,140,994. How many drivers since have done this twice with 30 or more starts?
9. His career numbers are 67,247 drives, 10,422 victories, and $190,786,957 career earnings which was third at the time of his retirement 11 years ago and ninth currently.
10. Remember that until May 1, 1988, many thought of him as a wonderfully talented driver, but a “half-mile track driver.” That was quickly dispelled after his move to New Jersey.
MIKE ON HIS MOUNTS
Imperfection — “Tiny chestnut. Perfectly gaited. She closed like a train.”
Safely Kept — “I didn’t know a thing about him. I had one in there, but the connections told me that if I drove him, I could also drive Mc Cluckey in the Yonkers Trot the next week. [He won in a dead heat with Magic Lobell]. He was one of the favorites. That is how I got the drive. Western Hanover was in there and then Direct Flight was scratched. I sat behind Western Hanover but Rod Allen and Carlsbad Cam were first over and it was tight. Very tight, an inch maybe. I must admit I closed my eyes as I went through.”
L Dees Trish — “Very fast filly. A freak. She came around just before her time.”
Creatine — “I remember helping out Bob Stewart with him at 2. At 3 he was very good but I didn’t have any racing luck. He won the Kentucky Futurity though; that was the last time I was in it.”
Straight Path — “Top of the stretch [in the 1998 NA Cup] I was hoping for a check, or maybe a little more. I even cut the corner last turn. When I got to the wire, I had no idea if he won.”
Artiscape — “He started late at 2. Brian Monieson and George Segal owned him. He was a bit on the frail side. Not the type you could go to war with every week. When I was in the Jug, I stuck with him taking off Pelling’s horse [Shady Character] who I won a Jug heat with. It was a business decision because I had two breedings to Artiscape for 20 years. He was a pretty good sire too.”
Western Ideal — “If I remember correctly, I drove him 14 times [in 2000] with 12 wins and two seconds. I had a lot of fun driving him.”
Mystical Maddy — “She was something. At 3 I am pretty sure I drove her 19 times and won 18 of them. The one time we lost wasn’t her fault. There was a white quarter boot in the first turn she saw.”
Goalie Jeff — “Wow. If you look at his record, I remember him winning five double heats in August and September; he won all 10 races: the Dancer, Prix D’Ete, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Adios, Jug. The only reason he wasn’t Horse of the Year was because Matt’s Scooter was around.”
Lastly, was Cantab Hall the best trotter you ever drove in the Hambletonian that didn’t win it? “Yes.”
