by Melissa Keith 

Woodbine Mohawk Park’s lightning fast pacing gelding Funtime Bayama (p, 3, 1:49.4s; $238,247) was originally registered as “Flash Bayama,” but it’s easy to understand the name change. The gelding has brought nothing but enjoyment so far for owner/breeder Yves Filion and his son, Funtime Bayama’s regular driver Sylvain Filion.

“Very much so,” said Sylvain. “He’s fun. He’s given us so many thrills in his early career. He’s like a family pet. He was bred, born, and raised on the family farm in Lachute, Quebec.”

The Woodbine Mohawk Park driver told HRU that his father, 2016 Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Yves Filion, did the preliminary work with Funtime Bayama.

“My dad and my brother [Justin Filion] broke him and took very good care of him,” Sylvain said. “They took care of him over the winter in Quebec. My sister [Julie] goes and sees him at the farm pretty much every day to feed him carrots and apples and treats with my niece [Amy].”

The son of Hes Watching—Tymal Sugrbabydoll never missed the board last year, winning four of seven starts that followed his July 2 debut qualifier at Rideau Carleton Raceway. Yves was in the sulky for the Bayama Farms homebred’s going-away 1:56.3 victory.

“Last year, [Yves] thought he might have something special, but you don’t really know until you ask them in a race,” Sylvain said. “In his first real race, he showed me.”

Funtime Bayama won his first Mohawk qualifier five days after the one at Rideau Carleton, in an identical 1:56.3 clocking. This time, Sylvain drove, and Funtime Bayama had moved to the farm of 10-time O’Brien Trainer of the Year Richard Moreau for the racing season.

The 2023 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold divisional champion began his career a little later than some same-crop peers last year, but his driver explained that’s simply how Yves likes to develop young horses.

“With the weather in Lachute, where the farm is, he takes his time,” Sylvain said. “He always starts them a little later.”

Funtime Bayama spent last winter at home in Quebec, and has returned to the track an even more imposing presence at age 3.

“He filled out,” said Sylvain, adding that the family horse is currently based in Puslinch, ON again. “He was already pretty tall. He’s way thicker and stronger now. He’s back under Richard Moreau’s care. He’s been doing a great job.”

Funtime Bayama won his first 2024 qualifier on April 26 at Mohawk, defeating fellow North America Cup eligibles Nijinsky, Enforcer, and Legendary Hanover in the 1:54 mile. He remains undefeated after consecutive front-end victories in the Ontario Standardbred Breeders Association (SBOA) Stakes, winning his May 4 elimination in 1:51.2 and lowering his mark to 1:49.4 in the $127,000 May 11 final.

Sylvain said it wasn’t just the wins themselves that mattered, but how Funtime Bayama was well within himself at the wire.

“[He won] pretty handy,” said the Milton, ON-based reinsman. “That’s a pretty big advantage. When you can win easily, that keeps them braver and keeps them racing longer.”

Career longevity is the objective for Funtime Bayama, rather than fast results and early retirement. That’s for two reasons, according to Sylvain.

“[First], we like our horses too much to try to impress with him,” he told HRU Friday (May 24). “It’s like they’re [Yves’] babies. It’s a family thing. We always think about the following week, the next race. That’s the way I was brought up.”

Second: Funtime Bayama is a gelding.

“The dam was really excited and anxious, stuff like that,” Sylvain said. “She didn’t race because of that. He showed he was like his mother, so we gelded him. He still has little quirks. He’s almost like a thoroughbred. He’s better this year. We’ve been racing him with an open bridle. Last year he raced with a blind bridle, and he was pretty aggressive. He’s much calmer this year with an open bridle.”

Balancing calmness with the high expectations of his 3-year-old campaign will be important for Funtime Bayama, but Sylvain said there are no unreasonable expectations for the family-owned horse.

“Maybe a little bit of extra pressure, but pressure keeps you on your toes,” he said. “We had so much fun last year with him.”

Funtime Bayama’s last start was the first 2024 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold leg for 3-year-old male pacers, race 9 on Saturday night (May 25) at Mohawk.

“A race is always a race,” Sylvain said. “A lot of things can happen. I’m a little bit confident, but not too much. Sometimes being the favorite, there’s a little pressure, but I wouldn’t want to drive anybody else in that race.”

Sustained to the Somebeachsomewhere Stake (June 1) and Pepsi North America Cup (eliminations on June 8) at Mohawk, Funtime Bayama is also being pointed towards other major events for 3-year-old pacers.

“He’s eligible to the Meadowlands Pace and the Breeders Crown at the end of the year,” Sylvain said. “At this point we’ll go week by week and see how he comes out of his races. We don’t want to over-race him.”

Sylvain was recently elected to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. He will be officially inducted on Aug. 7, 2024 at the Mississauga Convention Centre.

“My dad is already there, and my uncle Hervé,” Sylvain said, adding with a laugh, “It’s cool to be inducted, the third Filion inducted; I thought you had to be very old to be in there.”

Meanwhile, Yves was busy this week, proving that harness racing helps keep its participants young. Sylvain said his 77-year-old father trained Funtime Bayama’s 2-year-old half-brother Greattime Bayama (by Bettors Delight) in a mile “around 2:08” on Thursday (May 23) at Rideau Carleton.

“He’s going to a trainer in Ontario tomorrow [May 25], to Tyler Moore, Dr. [Ian] Moore’s son,” Sylvain said. “Richard [Moreau] is pretty busy. We like to try different things, have a different view. You learn more stuff by working with different people.”

Dam Tymal Sugrbabydoll, Yves’ only broodmare, is currently in foal to Leader Bayama (p, 3, 1:51.1s; $304,306). The stallion, an Artsplace half-brother to the late Goliath Bayama (p, 5, 1:48.1s; $1,503,428), is owned by Guy Corbeil of Mirabel, QC. Tymal Sugrbabydoll’s 2023 foal is Handsome Bayama, a chestnut colt by Cattlewash (p, 3, 1:46.4m; $1,314,787).

Sylvain, a four-time O’Brien Driver of the Year, surpassed 10,000 driving wins last year at Mohawk. He said he’s looking forward to attending his Hall of Fame induction with his wife and daughter, and having a strong contender for the 2024 stakes season.

“I’ll cross my fingers he stays sound and healthy, and we’ll have a Funtime of a summer,” he said, smiling at the double entendre.