Malabar Man - 2CT
bay colt, by Supergill
Owner
Malvern Burroughs
When amateur driver Mal Burroughs won the Hambletonian Oaks behind his top notch trotting filly Gleam, he was a curiosity, a story angle, a hook and an inspiration to all those armchair drivers and trainers out there.
After 1996, Burroughs can only be described as an amateur in the same way Carl Lewis’ performance in the 1992 Olympics could be called amateur. He holds an amateur license, but there the definition ends. He may not accept his driving percentage, but he proved himself on equal footing with any of his “A” license peers after the handling of the year’s top freshman colt, Malabar Man.
More impressive is that he bred the colt as well as drove him to each of his 13 victories. Malabar Man was the first foal born at Burroughs’ New Jersey farm, also called Malabar Farms, a combination of Burroughs first name and his wife, Barbara.
Burroughs can claim familiarity with three generations of the pedigree that went into making Malabar Man. He raced Fickle Yankee, and bred her, and one of her resulting foals was named Lady Love McBur. That filly showed tremendous trotting ability, but suffered a tendon injury that ended any hope of a racing career. Burroughs subsequently bred Lady Love McBur to Supergill, hoping to infuse a large dose of Super Bowl blood. And so Malabar Man was born.
Though Burroughs thought well of the colt, it was trainer Jimmy Takter who harbored big aspirations for him. There was something about him that earmarked him in Takter’s mind, and Takter’s had his share of good ones.
Malabar Man qualified in late June, like hundreds of other two-year-olds, and though he won his qualifier, the time of 2:04.2 was not an attention-getter. From there, Burroughs and the colt went to the fair. Though the New Jersey fairs today bear little resemblance to the primitive circuit it once comprised, it is still considered an easier path for a youngster than to be thrown immediately to the pari-mutuel wolves.
In his first four starts Malabar Man raced for a purse of $3,000 and did not crack 2:00, while his peers took down the big dollars offered in the Peter Haughton Memorial and other stake events. Malabar Man did win each of those four starts, and the New Jersey Futurity, which carried a respectable purse of $14,244 before trying open stakes competition. According to Burroughs this was a valuable learning experience, not only for the freshman, but for Burroughs himself.
In their first departure from their home state, Burroughs and Malabar Man ended their six-race win streak by finishing fourth (placed third) in the Champlain at Mohawk Raceway.
They stayed at Mohawk for the Campbellville the next week, which Burroughs won -- while a colt named Meadowbranch Lou won another division. Meadowbranch Lou would figure largely in their future, but for now Burroughs was just concerned with not making any mistakes with his obviously talented colt.
It was back to New Jersey, where Malabar Man and Burroughs won the Sire Stake Final and their elimination and the final of the Harold Dancer Memorial at Garden State Park. Word spread slowly that the team of Takter and Burroughs had come up with another trotter deserving respect.
The Breeders Crown has been a definitive factor in year end honors for this group, perhaps more than any other. Of the 12 champions, eight have been named top of their class. So it was an important race for both Malabar Man and Meadowbranch Lou, and also the richest purse the two had ever raced for -- over $400,000.
A total of 15 trotters entered the box, though early season sensation Yankee Glide opted out due to illness. The group after the eliminations ranged from the serious contenders -- Malabar Man and Meadowbranch Lou -- to the inexperienced but developing fast -- Sand Chaser, Divinator, BJ’s Super Son and Victory’s Force -- to the comicallynamed but capabaly gaited -- Buttafuco and Oneacme Trotterkit.
Oneacme Trotterkit, in particular, was a crowd pleaser. The small son of Cumin was a bargain basement $6,000 purcahse for innovative trainers Bud Burke and Liz Quesnel. With his high-stepping gait and his tail tied in a knot and carried high in the air, Oneacme Trotterkit raced like the little engine that could. His third place finish in the $500,000 Peter Haughton was ten times his purchase price.
Trainer | Driver
Jimmy Takter | Mal Burroughs
Malabar Man won his eight horse elimination, rather easily, by close to two lengths. Meadowbranch Lou won his too, in perfect fashion and the gauntlet was thrown down. The media made much of the “David -vs- Goliath” angle of the Breeders Crown. Meadowbranch Lou came from one of the most formidable owner-trainer-driver teams in the sport. Those involved, Chuck Sylvester, John Campbell, Lou Guida, along with coowners Neal Goldman and Gerry Donahue have been a part of 50 Breeders Crown titles. Burroughs on the other hand, owned one Breeders Crown winner, Gleam, and had been in the bike for one of the few defeats of her sophomore season. Gleam broke stride with Burroughs driving in her elimination of the 1994 Breeders Crown and did not advance to the final. That stigma was added to the already oppressive weight Burroughs felt the week between the elim and final of the Mohawk Breeders Crown when an even more pressing problem occurred.
Malabar Man suffered a minor infection in his hoof, but a painful one that made his racing in the final questionable. For two days he did not leave the stall, while caretaker Paavi Huuskonen soaked and treated his foot.
When Burroughs and Malabar Man took to the track on Crown night, the rain and wind were formidable. Malabar Man was second favorite behind Meadowbranch Lou in the wagering. The worry about the colt’s foot was momentarily alleviated when Jimmy Takter won the first Breeders Crown race on the card, the 2-year-old filly trot with Armbro Prowess. Takter barely had time to shower the mud out of his ears before Malabar Man went to post. Burroughs got away evenly, sitting third behind the sprinting Oneacme Trotterkit and a somewhat bewildered Buttafuco. As Oneacme Trotterkit tired, Campbell made his move with Meadowbranch Lou, a move he’s made many times in the past with success. Burroughs knew he was coming and refused to flush until it suited him, sitting coolly at the rail until the half mile marker. When he did pull, he refused to be hurried and confident of his colt’s ability, sat determinedly midtrack, and then began pass the leaders. Meadowbranch Lou, enjoying the best of trips, had him dead in his sights and was simply not good enough. No one was -- the Goliath was Malabar Man all along.
Malabar Man is a son of Supergill, who in one of the closest photos ever in a Breeders Crown, ended up second by a nostril to Firm Tribute. Another son, Running Sea, would win his Crown event a week later. Supergill would lead all stallions in Breeders Crown earnings for the year, his nine starters banking $642,893, with two championships. Ironically, Supergill had already been exported to Italy when his sophomore crop exploded on the scene.
Despite a loss to Allison Hollow in the Valley Victory final, Malabar Man went home with all the marbles at season’s end. Besides a healthy $464,041 in the bank, 13 wins in 15 starts (the two losses were a second and a third) add the fact that Malabar Man never, ever, went offstride, as a testament to his ability. Burroughs firmly established himself as a professional in every sense of the world, one regarded as an equal by Hall of Fame drivers and trainers alike
Purse $428, 676
Mohawk Raceway, Campbellville, ON - October 18, 1996
Extras
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