Driver Bio

 
Mario 
Baillargeon 
Born: 7/27/1957  in St. Hubert, QC 
Resides: Milton, ON 
Colors: Red-Green-White 
Statistics
Woodbine Mohawk Stakes Wins
SERIES HORSE (YEAR)
Autumn Thrillionaire (2009, 3YOFP)
Blizzard Ashlees Luck (2006)
Head of the House (2002)
Breeders Crown Totally Western (2002)
Bridger Talespinner (2010)
Burlington Stakes Totally Western (2003)
Up Front Western (2002)
Canadian Breeders Red Star Biggirl (2006)
Armbro Balmoral (2004)
Whitesand Titan (2002)
Armbro Vanilla (2000)
Celias Counsel Helens Melons (2006)
Champlain (Trot) Gerry Lavec (2002)
Damsel Fancy a Dream (2007)
Amethyst (2005)
Diplomat Mcaracas (2010)
Don Mills Afternoon Dreams (2009)
San Remo Kosmos (2007)
Dream Maker McCabe Hall (2004)
Elegantimage (Consolation) Celebrity Tribute (2008)
Tilly Bomb (2007)
Nassagaweya Isle of Patmos (2004)
North America Cup (Consolation) Southwind Halite (2000)
Ontario Boys Series Nats Beach Bunny (2003)
Ontario Sired Spring Series Cam Cool (2007)
Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Finals

Air Stewart (2010, 2YOCT)

Bay Girl (2009, 2YOFP)

Cuddler (2009, 3YOFT

Ontario Sires Stakes Super Finals  

Oh Sweet Baby (2010, 2YOFT)

Voelz Hanover (2008, 3YOFP)

S.B.O.A. (Trot) Early Secret (2002)
Simcoe (Pace) Odysseus Bluechip (2011)
Snowshoe Night Sounds (2005)
Summertime Mannart Howard (2000)
The Count B DL Lyndie (2001)
Youthful Southview Senator (2001)
WDB/MOH Driving Record

Career Wins

7,098 Wins (through December 31, 2011)

2011 Driving Record

STARTS 1ST 2ND 3RD EARNINGS UDRS
1,525 158 187 181 $3,800,419 0.211

 

2011 WEG Driving Record

STARTS 1ST 2ND 3RD EARNINGS UDRS
1,322 118 162 150 $3,118,062 0.195

 

2011 WEG Stakes Wins

SERIES HORSE
Simcoe (Pace) Odysseus Bluechip
Career
  • 2011 marks the 15th consecutive year that Baillargeon has surpassed $1 million in purse earnings and 12th consecutive year that he has surpassed $3 million in earnings.
  • In 2011, Baillargeon teamed up with his brother, trainer Benoit Baillargeon, to capture two stakes victories. The $115,643 Simcoe Stakes at Mohawk in September with three-year-old pacing gelding Odysseus Bluechip and the $195,000 Forest City Pace at Western Fair Raceway in November with millionaire pacing mare Voelz Hanover in a 15-1 upset.
  • On June 25, 2011, 'Super Mario' hit the 7,000-win milestone aboard Major Stone in 1:51.1 for trainer Tony O’Sullivan.
  • Baillargeon drove Oh Sweet Baby, one of his brother’s trainees, to earn $243,530 in her freshman campaign. Her largest payday came with a winning effort in the $300,000 O.S.S. Super Final.
  • On March 2, 2009, Baillargeon was involved in an eight-horse accident that occurred in the Ontario Boys Final.  Baillargeon suffered a broken fibula as a result.  Baillargeon was driving Warp Speed when the three-year-old pacer grabbed a front shoe and fell causing a chain reaction with the remainder of the field field (fellow drivers Roger Mayotte and Robert Shepherd were also injured in the accident). After three month of recovery, Baillargeon was back driving.
  • In 2007, he piloted brother Benoit’s trainee, Reve D’Amerik, to a track-record-equalling 1:50.0 in August, in a $36,000 Preferred Trot at Mohawk, and partnered with Zooka, the sport’s fastest free-legged pacer, he helped the gelding to the $1 million mark in earnings.
  • The Quebec native captured his 6,000th career victory back in 2006 at Flamboro Downs.
  • Mario missed a significant amount of time in 2003 due to recovery and rehabilitation from a broken clavicle sustained in an accident at Woodbine, but came back to assemble a solid year in 2004.
  • Scored his biggest career victory in 2002 with two-year-old pacing colt Totally Western in the Breeders Crown.
  • He was the runner-up to Chris Christoforou for an O’Brien Award as Canada’s Driver of the Year in 2002.
  • Baillargeon recorded his 5,000th career win aboard Sinister Sam on February 1, 2002, and in June of 2003, Mario, along with six other local drivers, was presented with a ring commemorating his prestigious milestone achievement.
  • In addition to driving many horses for trainer Ben Wallace, Mario is also on call for his brother, Benoit, who also re-located to train in Ontario in the fall of 2000. Mario is 363 days older than his brother, Ben.
  • He moved to Ontario in the fall of 1999 (373 victories that year, third among Canadian drivers).
  • Mario has been driving horses for 34 years and was regarded as one of Quebec’s top reinsmen throughout the 1990s.
  • Baillargeon was also among the leading drivers in California, Chicago, Detroit and Florida in the 1980s.