Malabar Man voted harness horse of the year

Web posted December 23, 1997

Associated Press

COLT'S NECK, N.J. -- Hambletonian winner Malabar Man was voted Harness Horse of the Year in a poll conducted by the United States Trotting Association.

The trotting colt easily beat pacing Triple Crown winner Western Dreamer, 193 votes to 42 in results announced Monday.

Malabar Man, bred, owned and driven by amateur Malvern Burroughs, also won divisional honors as best in his class for the second consecutive year.

Trained by Jimmy Takter and driven in all but one of his 1997 starts by Burroughs, Malabar Man won 11 times in 14 races this year. His 1997 earnings of $1,485,417 were the most of any Standardbred in North America and marked the first time in 20 years that a male trotter led the nation in money earned.

His major victories were in the $1.2 million Hambletonian, when he made Burroughs only the second amateur winner of the classic race and the $594,000 Breeders Crown.

Conway Hall, winner of seven of 12 starts, was top 2-year-old trotting colt; Feel The Motion earned 2-year-old trotting filly honors. Wesgate Crown and Moni Maker, both of whom enjoyed success racing in North America and Europe in 1997, were selected the best older trotting horse and mare, respectively.

Western Dreamer was voted Pacer of the Year and received 3-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year honors after a season in which he became the first winner of the Pacing Triple Crown in 14 years. Trained by Bill Robinson and driven by Mike Lachance to his Triple Crown victory, Western Dreamer won the Art Rooney, Cleveland Classic and Oliver Wendell Holmes in addition to the races which make up the Triple Crown: the Cane Pace, Messenger and Little Brown Jug.