by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway

Monticello, NY — Mal Burroughs, a gentleman, builder, sportsman, visionary, horse owner, breeder, amateur driver and the first horseman to breed, own, and drive a Hambletonian winner, will be the recipient of the Monticello-Goshen Chapter USHWA’s Lifetime Achievement Award when the chapter holds its 49th annual awards banquet on Sunday night, October 28, at Kutshers Country Club in Monticello, N.Y.

Although he claims to be kin to the writer Edgar Rice Burroughs of Tarzan fame, in reality Malvern Burroughs is, and has been, more intrigued with harness racing than he ever was of literature.

If you ask Burroughs what his profession is he’ll tell you he’s a builder — his company built the Meadowlands Racetrack — but in harness racing circles he’s better known as the amateur driver who won the Hambletonian, a goal of not only amateur drivers but of every horseman.

Burroughs not only owned and bred the winner, Malabar Man, but even against some professional advice he nevertheless took the lines and drove his colt to a resounding victory which turned out to be arguably the biggest harness racing story of that season.

That was 1997 but Burroughs’ involvement in harness racing goes back decades farther as an owner and avid fan of the Standardbred industry.

“It seems like I always owned horses,” Burroughs related, but it wasn’t until he purchased a Speedy Crown filly by the name of Gleam that he started to make headlines.

After owning racehorses for a decade, maybe two, in 1981 he obtained an amateur driving license and became a charter member of the C.K.G. Billings Amateur Driving Series the following season.

“I won my first race as a driver in 1982 and I was hooked; I loved it,” Burroughs remembers. But being a businessman, his opportunity to drive horses was limited, although he relished the times that he was in the sulky.

Burroughs not only raced in the United States, but he drove and won races in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

As Burroughs became more confident of his abilities in the sulky he began racing some of his top stock.

Burroughs opened eyes of amateurs and professionals alike when he drove Gleam to victory in the 1994 Hambletonian Oaks. With Burroughs at the controls many times, Gleam earned over $580,000. Moreover it gave Burroughs the desire to drive a Hambletonian winner, a feat accomplished by only one other amateur driver, that being Harrison Hoyt with Demon Hanover in 1948.

But not only did Burroughs win the 1997 Hambo with Malabar Man he also won Italy’s premier race, the Orsi Mangelli, later that season.

Over the years Burroughs has owned well over 120 horses, scant few of which were the caliber of Malabar Man or Gleam. And even today he owns a stable of what he refers to as “overnight horses,” a stable which he says has been inspired by the bigger purses at all racetracks due to the introduction of slots at the racinos.

Currently the “Godfather of Amateur Racing” — a moniker dubbed on him after his outstanding accomplishments in the sulky — is recuperating from heart bypass surgery and his times in the sulky have been limited over the past few years.

Mal Burroughs has brought a lot of excitement to the world of trotting and his accomplishments are the barometer to which all amateur drivers aspire to.

“I stayed an amateur because I am an amateur. I work in the construction business and I don’t think I should be ranking myself with guys like John Campbell and Mike Lachance,” Burroughs said. “It just wouldn’t be right. Some guys have yachts and airplanes, I have trotters.”