1990s Hambletonian

The Tone For The Milennium

The final Hambletonian of the 20th century set new standards for the sport as two industry records were shattered on an electric August afternoon. In a blistering performance, Self Possessed posted the fastest trotting mile in harness history in the $1 million final, and the total handle of $7,132,583 set the mark as the highest in the sport. The charismatic colt commanded the lead at the half and drew off to an effortless five and a half-length victory in 1:51.3, a stakes, track and world record. Self Possessed gave the team of driver Mike Lachance and trainer Ron Gurfein their third Hambletonian in six years. Lachance and Gurfein won in 1994 with Self Possessed's sire, Victory Dream, and in 1996 with the filly Continentalvictory. "I can't take credit for it," Lachance said. "He did it on his own, and it was very easy for him. It's a very special day for me." Though the end-result was a dream come true, Gurfein admitted the race did not start out as he imagined while drifting off to sleep the night before. "I was picturing Secretariat," Gurfein said. "Watching Secretariat in the Belmont Stakes, well that's a dream race for a trainer. I pictured Self Possessed going right to the top and just drawing off. Mike had a lot of decisions to make from the start to the quarter-pole. That was one of the greatest drives for $1 million you'll ever see in your life." Self Possessed became the first sone of a Hambletonian winner to win the Hambletonian at the Meadowlands. His victory solidified Victory Dream's status as a top stakes producer and added another laurel to the Valley Victory lineage. As a member of the Self Possessed Stable, George Segal's Brittany Famrs earned its first owner's credit, and its second breeder's, in the Hambletonian. Brittany, which also bred Continentalvictory, sold Self Possessed at aution as a yearling for $100,000, but later joined the ownership team through a private purchase.

All of Self Possessed's three-year-old starts prior to the race (five for a purse and two qualifiers) were at the Meadowlands. There of the last five winners (Victory Dream, 1994; Tagliabue, 1995; and Malabar Man, 1997) used the same course to the winner's circle. Self Possessed's five and a half length margin of victory in the Hambletonian was surpassed only by Mack Lobell's six and a quarter record margin (1987) and possibly Peter Astra's "half a dozen lengths" (1939) in the days before the photo finish. It equaled Nevele Pride's margin of victory (1968). Self Possessed also won the Kentucky Futurity, but did not start in the Yonkers Trot. Self Possessed was the 33rd Hambletonian winner to be honored as a USHWA/USTA divisional champion since 1952. John Sokul, the Gurfein Stable's assistant trainer, was also the caretaker for Victory Dream, the sire of Self Possessed. It was Jerry & Rosalie Silva's second trip to the Hambletonian winner's circle, as they were also partners on Continentalvictory (1996). Nineteen Hambletonian winners, including Victory Dream, are owned wholly or in part by New York connections, the most of any state. Seventeen winning owners come from New Jersey; fourteen from Pennsylvania. Owners David Scharf and the Silvas are both from New York. Self Possessed is one of only eight Hambletonian winners produced in their sire's initial crop. The seven others: Hoot Mon (Helicopter, 1953); Speedster (Speedy Scot, 1963); Ayres (Timothy T, 1970); Green Speed (Duenna, 1983); Mystic Park (Mack Lobell, 1987); Crowing Point (Harmonious, 1990); and Valley Victory (Victory Dream, 1995). Victory Dream is the tenth winner that subsquently sired a Hambletonian winner: Titan Hanover (1945); Hoot Mon (1947); Speedy Scot (1963); Ayres (1964); Nevele Pride (1968); Speedy Crown (1971); Super Bowl (1972); Green Speed (1977); Speedy Somolli (1978) and Victory Dream (1994). Carl Allen, 69, was the only trainer/driver programmed in the final. CR Commando was the 2-year-old Breeders Crown and divisional champion the previous fall. John Campbell, who is the winning driver of a record five Hambletonians, won his first Oaks with Oolong.

Muscling To Victory

Hall of Fame driver John Campbell earned his way into the record books yet again as he claimed his fifth Hambletonian victory with Muscles Yankee in 1998. The powerful colt with a quick turn of speed also provided trainer Chuck Sylvester with his third win in the trotting classic. Campbell eased the three-year-old colt up second-over, claimed the lead past the half and confidently sailed to a three-length victory. "And when I asked him [Muscles Yankee] to step to the front, he responded very well, and he was really on the muscle and felt great," Campbell said after the race. "Coming around the last turn he was real strong, and I felt real confident. As Chuck said, he doesn't quit. He's never shown any quitting in any of the starts of his life. It was just a great performance." The time of 1:52.2 was only a fifth of a second off of Continentalvictory's stakes and track record. David Raymond, also trained by Sylvester and driven by Cat Manzi, secured second place for Sylvester. Kick Tail, with driver Berndt Lindstedt, made two strong bids for the lead and ended up three and a half-lengths back in third. Sylvester teamed with Campbell to win the 1987 Hambletonian with Mack Lobell. He also won the 1989 race with Park Avenue Joe in a unique deadheat with Probe. "Muscles is the horse I said he was," said Sylvester, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in July of 1998. "He trotted home great and won easy. When Kick Tail was first up, I knew that unless something was wrong with Muscles, he would trot away. This is the one race if you ask any trainer the race they want to win, this is the ultimate race." Muscles Yankee's victory in the Hambletonian was the first for each of his owners: William Perretti of Saddle River, New Jersey, Irving Liverman of Montreal, Quebec and David French of Boca Raton, Florida. "This was fantastic," Perretti said. "I've waited 20 years for this." Hambletonian Day realized a total harness handle of $6,503,202, (up from %6,115,766 in 1997), a record for the Hambletonian and second only to the $6.7 million of the 1997 Meadowlands Pace. The crowd of 25,873 included Beth Pritch of Clinton, New Jersey, honored as a the 500,000th guest to attend the Hambletonian since its debut at the Meadowlands in 1981.

John Campbell won his record fifth Hambletonian, just 15 years after driving in his first (Joie De Vie 1-4dh in 1983). Chuck Sylvester is only the seventh trainer to finish first and second in the final: Jimmy Takter (1997); Per Eriksson (1992); Bill Haughton (1980); Ralph Baldwin (1959); H.M. "Doc" Parshall (1934); Walter Cox (1929, Cox's entry in all captured the first four monies). Sylvester's other two horses, Silver Pine and Armbro Rotary, made breaks and finished ninth and tenth respectively (last and next to last). Muscles Yankee was a $200,000 yearling purchase at the Kentucky Standardbred Sale Co., a record yearling price for a Hambletonian winner. Valley Victory was the sire of the winner for the third time in five years, with only five crops of age to race in the Hambletonian. Kick Tail, owned by Arden Homestead Stable (E.T. Gerry family), was their 32nd starter in the Hambletonian. It is by far the record for any single ownership, which raced the entry of Cinema and First Choice in the inaugural 1926 race and has won the classic on two occasions: Titan Hanover (1945) and Flirth (1973). In 1996, the Hambletonian Oaks trophy was named for Elbridge T. Gerry Sr, in recognition of his nearly 50 years of service to the Hambletonian Society. Berndt Lindstedt drove in Arden Homestead's historic orange and blue colors.

Amateur Turned Pro

Much was made of owner-breeder Malvern Burroughs status as an amateur driver in the 1997 Hambletonian . While the 56-year-old Burroughs may not drive for purse money [he donates it to charity, primarily the Seton Hall Seminary], he gave Malabar Man a perfect steer in the $1 million trotting classic. As one reporter, Sherry Ross of the New York Daily News, put it, Burroughs "drove like a chilly professional when he threaded Malabar Man through the eye of the needle to skim the rail inside of Bowlin for Dollars and win the Meadowlands race." Burroughs, who parlayed a single dump truck into a construction and real estate empire, was involved in building the Meadowlands racing strip in the mid 1970s. One this bright, sunny day he would win the track's most important race as only the second amateur (Harrison Hoyt was the first in 1948) to win the Hambletonian in the first 72 editions of the stakes. Malabar Man was unbeaten in the first six starts he had at three, coming tinto the Hambletonian with victories in 19 of 21 lifetime starts. Sent off as the 3-10 favorite in the $1 million final, he trotted the mile in 1:55, paying $2.60 as part of the three-horse entry. One of his stablemates in the care of trainer, Jimmy Takter, Take Changes, was one-length back in second. "I wanted to win the race for the horse." Burroughs said, wiping at the tears that mixed with sweat. "I would have felt bad if I goofed up and caused the horse not to win. I was happy the horse could show his greatness. "I just thank God for sending me this wonderful horse," said Burroughs, who lives in Flemington, New Jersey. Malabar man's season continued after the Hambletonian victory, with wins in 13 of 16 starts, including that $594,000 Breeders Crown on October 24, his final start. He retired to a career at stud at Perretti Farms in Cream Ridge, New Jersey, with a career bankroll of $2,143,903. In post season balloting, Burrough's homebred son of Supergill-Lady Love McBur won the Dan Patch Award as Horse of the Year, along with honors as Trotter of the Year and Three-Year-Old Trotter of the Year. The 1997 edition of the Hambletonian marked the first time eliminations were held the week prior to the final. Hambletonian Day was a betting bonanza with a total harness handle of $6,115,766 ( up from $5,819,226 in 1996) of which $3,167,323 (up from $3,139,833) was wagering at the Meadowlands. The crowd of 26,618 was off from the 1996 total of 28,299, but on-site betting (on the live and incoming simulcast signals) reached $4,343,416 versus $3,703,814 the previous year.

For the first time, eliminations for the Hambletonian and the Hambletonian Oaks were contested the prior Saturday (August 2). For the first time, the elimination races were seeded by formula to balance the fields with pre-race favorites Malabar Man, Bowlin for Dollars and Yankee Glide drawing in separate eliminations. For the first time, the post positions for the finals were determined by an open draw. Malabar Man won from post four. He won his elimination from post three. Owner-breeder Malvern Burroughs became the second amateur diver to win the Hambletonian. Harrison Hoyt won with Demon Hanover in 1948. According to 87-year-old Hoyt, who was present in his first visit to the Meadowlands, Burroughs handling of Malabar Man was "Exactly the way I would have taken him." Malabar Man was the 20th homebred to win the Hambletonian. It was actually Burrough's second Hambletonian drive; he drove Climbing Bud (5-x-5) in 1995. Amateur driver Burroughs donatedhis 5% diver's fee to Seton Hall Seminary. Thirty winners, including Malabar Man, traced their paternal line directly to Volomite (second to Walter Dear in the 1929 Hambletonian). Volomite was a great-great great-grandson of Hambletonian 10. Malabar Man was the 60th of the 73 winners to trace their paternal line directly to Peter The Great, a great-grandson of Hambletonian 10. John & Adelaide Skoglund's Must Be Victory set a stakes record in the Oaks winning in 1:53 3/5. Must be Victory is by Valley Victory, sire of three Hambletonian winners and two Oaks winners from his first five crops. The purse for the final of the Hambletonian Oaks was increased from $300,000 to $500,000.

filly sets the standard

As she muscled her way into the record book, Continentalvictory flicked her luxuriant black tail into the air and for the second time on Saturday, August 3, 1996, she crossed the finish line first to win the 71st Hambletonian. Next stop was victory lane where she would become the 13th filly to win the world’s most prestigious race for three-year-old trotters. Since the introduction of the companion filly stakes, the Hambletonian Oaks, in 1971, few have opted to challenge the colts. Continentalvictory did not only take on the colts, she obliterated the record book.

Her opening heat of 1:52.1 was the fastest mile in Hambletonian history and a standard for three-year-old trotting fillies. It also equaled Mack Lobell's mark for sophomore trotters. With her 1:52.4 finale, she posted the fastest double heat total of 3:45, more than a second off the previous record. Reduced to five starters, the second division participants, headed by Lindy Lane, were all assured a spot in the final. Bill O'Donnell, put the Lindy Farms homebred on top at the quarter pole and pulled away to a length and three-quarter victory in 1:53.2. Despite her brilliant first heat performance, Continentalvictory was the betting public's second choice to Lindy Lane in the final heat raced late that afternoon - nearly four o'clock - before a crowd of 28,229 and millions of others watching at simulcasting locations and via the live CBS-TV broadcast. The $1 million Hambletonian Final did not get off without a hitch. One of the finalists, Pine Man, was scratched sick. The Armbro Officer and Act Of Grace each caused delays by breaking at the gate. Tony Oaks, 80-1, fired up by the two recalls, charged out after Continentalvictory and Lindy Lane, who were sitting 1-2 to the quarter in 28.1 and a half in 55.4. But Lachance was not about to yield to the longshot, leaving him parked along side Lindy Lane. Continentalvictory got a bit of a breather to a three-quarters clocked in 1:23 before the all out battle to the wire unfolded. "I got within a head, and she just got away," O'Donnell noted. "(Lindy Lane) gave her a good run for the money. He thought he got to her and was going to get by her, and she shifted into an extra gear. What an athlete that filly is. She's like (Olympian) Jackie Joyner-Kersee." Continentalvictory stopped the teletimer in 1:52.4, last quarter in 27.3 seconds, to secure the victory over Lindy Lane. It was four lengths back to Running Sea in third. Into the jubilant winner's circle streamed the members of the Continentalvictory Stable: Deena Frost (Highland Beach, FL), Harvey Gold (Marlborough, CT), Rosalie and Jerry Silva (Oceanside, NY), Stix Inc. (Ken Orr of Saddle River, NJ and David Hauck of Conley, GA) and David Offenberg's Allister Stables (Marlboro, NJ). Continentalvictory, with victories in the Yonkers Trot and the Hambletonian, had two thirds of the Triple Crown for trotters. Her bid to be the first filly to win the Triple Crown was denied when she pulled a suspensory and was scratched from teh first heat of the Kentucky Futurity on October 4. She was voted Three-Year-Old Filly Trotter of 11996 to add to her divisional honors at two in 1995. The ultimate accolade was to come as she was voted 1996 Horse of the Year.

Continentalvictory became just the second filly to win the Hambletonian since the Oaks was inaugurated in 1971. First elimination heat won by Continentalvictory in 1:52.1 was a Hambletonian stakes record. The mile tied the existing 3-year-old world record (Mack Lobell) and was a world record for 3-year-old fillies. It also broke the track record at the Meadowlands for a three year old, regardless of gender, and was the fastest pari-mutuel race at the track by a trotter, regardless of age. Third of only three black trotters to win; Hoot Mon and Park Avenue Joe were the others. Hambletonian Oaks winner Moni Maker has a rich Hambletonian winner Speedy Crown, out of the 1988 Oaks winner, Nan's Catch. Nan's Catch is the only Oaks winner to produce an Oaks winner.

Campbell Bros Score Touchdown

The 70th edition of the Cadillac Hambletonian provided a feeling of deja vu. Like the 1989 version of the Classic race, the two-year-old champions were expected to square off for the second jewel of trotting’s Triple Crown. But, like 1989, the script was subject to revisions. In 1989, Valley Victory, the dominant colt trotter, came down with an illness just days before the Hambletonian and never raced again. In 1995, Valley Victory’s son Donerail, the top colt trotter as a freshman, was not coming into the race as his trainer Stanley Dancer expected and he was retired just prior to the big event. Peace Corps, the champion two-year-old filly of 1988, raced in the Hambletonian but was not up to par, finishing third. However, CR Kay Suzie last year's brilliant filly champion, came tinto the 70th Hambletonian with all indications that she was ready to become the first female victor since Duenna to wear the Hambletonian crown. CR Kay Suzie was one of three horses racing for the Carl Allen family. Father Carl was aboard CR Trackmaster, son Mike would pilot Super Wally, and son Rod would be in his usual spot behind Suzie. CR Kay Suzie, who set world records on all three-sized tracks at two, had quite a following. members of the press often stopped by the Allen barn, and fans flocked to the races to see her.

The discussions among racing fans before the Hambletonian centered not on whether Suzie would win, but how fast she would go and how much she would win by. CR Kay Suzie drew into the first Hambletonian elimination, leaving from post six. She settled third through the first turn as Giant Hit took the lead, with Uma right behind. Rod Allen tipped her out past the quarter pole, and the filly picked up speed as she made a move for the front. Then, the unthinkable happened, Cr Kay Suzie went on a break in the blink of an eye, as Allen desperately tried to get her back trotting. John Campbell, steering Arlene and Jules Siegel's lightly-raced Tagliabue, was following Suzie's move but was not affected by the break. Tagliabue did however, throw in a few steps on the turn, when he attempted to pass Giant Hit who had held onto the lead. Campbell got the strapping colt back on stride quickly, but all eyes were on CR Kay Suzie, who had only to beat two colts to qualify for the final. It was not to be her day, however, as she struggled and finished sixth. Tagliabue swept by Giant Hit for the score, with that rival holding on for second, Uma third, Deliberate Speed fourth, and Climbing Bud fifth. The Allen family's luck didn't improve in the second elimination. Mike Allen sent Super Wally, who won the Dexter Cup earlier in the year, for the lead. But when King Pine challenged up the backside, Super Wally went on a break. Father Carl and CR Track Master had jumped off stride in the first turn as well.

Another surprise, Abundance, took the second heat. With John Patterson, Jr. in the bike, Abundance shoot loose after being locked into win in 1:56.2. Earthquake was second, and King Pine, whom most considered the one most likely to dethrone Suzie, was third. Trustworthy and Super Star Ranger rounded out the final five. In the final, Giant Hit and Abundance carved the early fractions, while Deliberate Speed settled in the three hole. both Trustworthy and King Pine took themselves out of contention with a break in the first turn. Campbell moved Tagliabue first-over early at the quarter in :28, and nabbed the lead. They hit the half in :56.1, and when Uma made a move only to make a break, a locked-in Abundance and Bill Fahy were able to get racing room. Tagliabue by that point was some five lengths in front, and cruised under the wire a comfortable winner by more that two lengths in 1:54.4. Abundance was second, and Giant Hit third.

The victory wasn't an ordinary Hambletonian victory for John Campbell, even though his fourth Hambletonian crown put him in very lofty company with Bill Haughton, Ben White and Stanley Dancer as the only men to drive four winners. It was the fact that younger brother Jim trained the winner that gave Campbell such a thrill. "It's a tremendous feeling," he said, "It's even more special when it's with Jimmy." The Campbell's parents, Jack and Florence, joined the celebration in the winner's circle. Tagliabue, bred by John and Adelaide Skoglund and named after NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, was purchased as a yearling for $55,000 by Arlene and Jules Siegel. The Siegels, who owned a chain of drugstores in New Jersey but now spend their time with their horses, tapped Jim Campbell to train their Fashion Farm horses just a year prior to their biggest victory.

Victory revisited

Dream Provides ‘Victory’ Revisited Valley Victory looked to be a formidable force in the 1989 Hambletonian, and a match-up with fabulous filly Peace Corps promised a great race. Alas, Valley Victory came down with a virus just days before the contest and was retired from racing. With impeccable breeding, hopes were high for Valley Victory’s career at stud. His first crop of Hambletonian colts came of age in 1994. When the field went behind the gate on August 6, no less than five of his offspring were there looking to avenge their father. Victory Dream had won all seven of his races at the Meadowlands leading up to the Budweiser Beacon Course and was widely considered to be the pre-race Hambletonian favorite but he lost a bit of his luster when he was a flat fourth in the Beacon Course Final. Others that attracted plenty of attention coming into the trotting classic were Yonkers Trot winner Bullville Victory, another son of Valley Victory; Mr Lavec; and Two-Year-Old Champion Wesgate Crown. Victory Dream's driver and trainer, Mike Lachance and Ron Gurfein, had never won a Hambletonian, but his owners, the Antonacci clan of Connecticut, certainly had. Frank Antonacci, who bred the colt along with his brother, Tommy, bought back Victory Dream as a yearling for his wife and daughters. He, along with his cousin, Guy Antonacci, owned 1969 and 1971 Hambletonian winners Lindy's Pride and Speedy Crown. In the first elimination dash, Victory Dream was an easy two and a half length winner in 1:53.4. Bullville Victory edged Mr. Lavec in 1:54.4 in the other. In the final, driver/trainer Jimmy Takter fired Mr. Lavec off the gate and led the way to a :26.3 opening quarter, the fastest such fraction in Hambletonian history. Mike Lachance sent Victory Dream after the leader at that point and was in control at the half, which was trotted in :56.1. Mr. Lavec shadowed the leader to the three-quarters in 1:25.4, but Victory Dream had plenty in the tank to repulse the challenge. Lachance and Victory Dream sailed under the wire in 1:54.4. Mr. Lavec was second in spite of locking wheels with Bullville Victory in deep stretch. Bye Tsem was third, and Smasher was fourth. Smasher is owned by Arelene Traub, who also owned Valley Victory and, like the winner, is from that sire's first crop. The Meadowlands handled $4.9 million total for the Cadillac Hambletonian Day card, a world and track record.

Guy "Sonny" Antonacci, a member of the Victory Dream Stable, has been a co-owner on a record four Hambletonian winners (Lindy's Pride, 1969; Probe, 1989; Harmonious, 1990; Victory Dream, 1994). His sons, Frank and Gerry, who comprise Lindy Racing Stable, have been co-owners on: Victory Dream, Harmonious and Probe. His cousin, Frank J. Antonacci, has been a co-owner of: Lindy's Pride, Speedy Crown and Victory Dream. Victory Dream was from the first crop of Valley Victory, who along with Mystic Park are th youngest sires (4-years-old) to produce a Hambletonian winner. The Minnehaha maternal family producted a record-tying ninth Hambletonian winner. Victory Dream was voted the 3-year-old Trotting Colt of the Year. Runner up Mr. Lavec, although trained in the U.S. by Swedish native Jimmy Takter, was a Swedish-sired and bred colt by 1978 winner Speedy Somolli. He was the first European-sired horse in the classic. (Speedy Somolli was exported and stood in Sweden since 1990). Mr. Lavec finished second in his elim and second in the final beaten 2 3/4 lengths - the best finish ever by a European-bred horse in the Hambletonian. The colt was raised at owner Johan Diedan's farm in Ireland. Amateur driver Mal Burroughs won the Oaks with Gleam.