Unbeknownst to nearly everyone, Gilmour sprung that on the
world although he admitted he’ll continue training his current five- horse
stable. “Now I’ll leave the driving to them young fellers.”
Asked why all of a sudden did he decided to retire the 74-year-old
reinsman simply said “I wanted to go out a winner.”
“It wasn’t all of a sudden but I didn’t want to say
anything about it because I didn’t know when it would happen. I don’t drive
that much anymore so it was hard for me to know exactly when I’d win my last
race.”
Gilmour, who’s always spews a “Howdy Sep” when greeting
others, is a consummate horsemen and was an excellent race driver. His record
speaks for itself. In his illustrious career which spanned six decades
he finished with 4492 winners; in years when the racing seasons were
short and two-track in one day driving wasn’t an option.
Ask Gilmour how many races he has won and you’re apt
to get an answer like “I don’t know”, or “I’m not sure”, or maybe even “I don’t
keep track of those things”. Statistics were really not important to him.
Not one for pomp and fanfare, Gilmour just went about his
work with a smile and a ragged cowboy hat taking care of his business. And he
did it so long that it became second nature.
Up every morning at the crack of dawn he headed to the
raceway to jog, train and care for his stock. Then it was off to the
paddock to don his driving colors and become one of the fiercest competitors
anyone would ever have to race against.
Over the years many a horsemen learned that you never try to
wrest the lead from Gilmour when he’s on the front-end. As a fellow driver once
stated facetiously “He’ll let you go when his whip wears out!”
Affectionately known as “Sep”, John is one of the famous
Gilmour Brothers (Buddy, George, now gone, and Lloyd) who together
accounted for more than 14,500 driving victories.
For “Sep”, Monticello Raceway has been home since the early
1960’s although he began his career at Buffalo Raceway and Batavia Downs,
two tracks near his hometown of Lucan, Ontario.
In the mid 1960’s, his brother Buddy, sent a contingent
horses to race at Monticello Raceway wit brother George in charge. John
was second in command.
Although John started slowly, once the local trainers got a
glimpse of his abilities he became one of the most sought after catch-drivers.
However, it wasn’t until 1973 that John copped his first
driving title. But from then on through the 1970’s and into the early 1980’s
Gilmour’s name was on or near the top of the driver’s standings every season.
During that period Gilmour won nine driving titles—during a
few seasons there were summer and winter meets-- and three times he established
new track records for most driving victories in a single season. Although his
reign ended when Zeke Parker called Monticello Raceway home in 1984 Gilmour
still was among the leaders in races won every season right into the
mid-1990’s.
As time went by Gilmour became more like a Damon Runyon
character. Oh yes, his competitive spirit was still there but he mellowed with
age. So much so, that there’s hardly a sole on the backstretch—save a few guys
he’s “hung out to dry” recently—that has a bad word about him.
Never one to complain, or even one to celebrate, John
Gilmour’s easy going ways and congeniality have endeared him to all who have
the pleasure of knowing him.
But in recent years Gilmour has been plagued with serious
health problems, though if you ask him about them he’ll shrug off his problems
(prostate cancer and colon cancer) like a wet dog shrugs off water.
Longtime friend, Betsy Phillips, for whom Gilmour
drove her good trotting mare, Gettheflakout, sums up the feelings of all
around the backstretch here when she said; “Everybody loves Sep”.
Make no mistake about it, John Gilmour is a treasure. He’s a
talented, hard-working, consummate horseman with a devil- may-care attitude.
And he was a top race driver.”
