The inaugural Championship Meet at the Meadowlands produced stellar racing and the realization of dreams for the man who constructed the Meadowlands and a trio of Ontario builders.

Malvern Burroughs, a 56-year-old retired contractor, who drove bulldozers to help prepare the site from which the Meadowlands Sports Complex would rise in the mid-1970s, fulfilled his dream by winning the $1 million Hambletonian with his homebred trotting colt, Malabar Man, on closing day, August 9.

A month earlier, on July 11, Sam Goldband of Toronto and Marvin Katz of Willowdale, brothers-in-law and partners in the construction business along with Al Libfeld of Pickering, Ontario, celebrated the success of Dream Away in the $1 million Meadowlands Pace.

The two $1 million events headlined the $19 million in stakes money in addition to $24 million in overnight purses distributed during the 164-date racing season. For a record sixth straight year, the overnight purses were increased, averaging $146,626, up by 2.16 percent over 1996.

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 wagered 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.

"Ending on Hambletonian Day was a positive move that was reflected in the numbers," said Bruce Garland, vice president for standardbred racing. "Hambletonian Day is usually the bellwether for the entire meet and sent this season out on a high note."

Total harness wagering [including betting at more than 200 nightly simulcasting locations] reached $442,635,870 for an average of $2,698,999, an increase of 1.35 percent.

On-track, the harness handle was $155,395,701 for an average of $947,535, down six percent from the $1 million average 1996. Attendance for the meet totaled 1,415,794 on-site of which 896,316 was for live racing, an average of 5,465 [down 8.6 percent].

"We had several major changes this year, which may have caused some effect on the numbers," Garland explained. "But in the long term, these changes should turn into enhancements. The changes included a 10-day break after Memorial Day to restart our new Championship Meet, the movement of many major stakes events, including the Meadowlands Pace, to Friday nights to accommodate the new American Championship Harness Series, and the creation of the Hambletonian Festival, a full week of stakes opening with a trio of Breeders Crown Finals and the elimination heats for the reformatted Hambletonian and the Hambletonian Oaks and concluding with their finals a week later.

"We may have some further modifications to the schedule in 1998 to continue to maximize our position in the industry," Garland added.

The 72nd Hambletonian produced a storybook finish for the saga of Malvern Burroughs. The retired contractor, who built his business up from one used dump truck, overcame five-way bypass surgery less than two years ago to become only the second amateur driver [the other was Harrison Hoyt with Demon Hanover in 1948] to win the prestigious middle jewel in the Triple Crown for three-year-old trotters.

"I got involved with the harness horses because I thought it was a great thing," noted the Flemington, New Jersey resident. "I gave up golf, I gave up fishing and I took up driving harness horses and I'm glad I did."

It took patience and a "parting of the seas," as Burroughs described it, to win the race in a time of 1:55, extending the trotter's record to seven wins in seven starts this year. Burroughs was locked in until the pacesetter, Bowlin For Dollars, tired and drifted out, opening the passage to his one-length victory over stablemate Take Chances.

"The horse was my inspiration," Burroughs said. "I wanted to win the race for the horse. Obviously the horse speaks for himself. I would have felt bad if I had goofed up and caused the horse not to win. I probably wouldn't have heard the end of it from Jimmy [trainer Jimmy Takter]. I was happy that the horse could show his greatness. I just thank God for sending me this wonderful gift."

It took the Ontario trio of Goldband, Katz and Libfeld more than two decades to know the thrill of victory that comes from winning the premier event for three-year-old pacers, the $1 million Meadowlands Pace.

Dream Away, a bay son of Artsplace, paced the mile in 1:50.2, finishing a half length ahead of a hard-charging At Point Blank. Driven by Ron Pierce and trained by Noel Daley for the Brett Pelling Stable, the colt was purchased for $85,000 at the Kentucky Standardbred Sale.

"After 22 years in racing, this is the greatest thrill in my life," said Katz, who with Goldband had Meadowlands Pace starters in 1992 [Bills Jet finished sixth] and 1994 [Expensive Scooter finished fifth]. "This is as good as it gets. We thought he was a good horse, now we know he's a great horse. When I woke up this morning I thought we had a shot, I thought we really were the best. Now this proves it. Brett Pelling has done a fantastic job with this horse."

"I was thrilled to death," said Pierce, who posted his first Meadowlands Pace and also won the $125,000 United States Pacing Championship with Tune Town. "I wasn't sure if I could out-lick them in the end. I could hear them closing in in the last sixteenth, and I was panicking. I didn't look back but I could hear all the horses coming behind me. I knew I had a lot of horse left. I was praying to God that he would hold on at the end."

"I'm just thrilled for these owners," noted Pelling, who won the 1995 Meadowlands Pace with David's Pass. "They've waited a long time for this. When they came into the lane, I was just praying for the wire to come up quickly."

Mike Lachance secured driving honors for the meet with 245 victories, 221 seconds and 173 thirds for $4,968,003 in purses. Top trainer of the meet for the fifth time was Brett Pelling with 89 victories. On top the owner standings both in wins [77] and earnings [$1,398,002] was the Peter Pan Stables, owned by Robert Glazer of Pepper Pike, Ohio.

John Campbell, who was deprived the top spot in the driver standings for only the second time since 1985, earned $4,819,176 in purses and numbered two of the three Breeders Crown races among his 182 victories during the meet. He won the $282,500 Breeders Crown Mare Open with Extreme Velocity and the $540,000 Breeders Crown Trot with Wesgate Crown. In the $300,000 Breeders Crown Pace, Mike Lachance won with Armbro Operative, who also captured the $250,000 Driscoll Final. Lachance also won the $240,000 Classic Distaff with Queens Arms, the $266,500 Oliver Wendell Holmes with Western Dreamer and the $200,000 Miss New Jersey with One If By Pan while his nephew, Luc Ouellette, annexed the $500,000 SBOA/New Jersey Classic with Arturo.

Campbell won the $390,200 Merrie Annabelle Final with Feel The Motion and the $765,750 Woodrow Wilson with Real Artist. Jack Moiseyev was at the lines for victories by Clover Hanover in the $604,800 Sweetheart and Stienam's Place in the $346,750 Mistletoe Shalee.

Berndt Lindstedt guided Harry's Bar to the winner's circle in the $408,000 Peter Haughton and Must Be Victory in the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks. Moni Maker annexed the $312,500 Nat Ray with Wally Hennessey in the sulky.