Harness Driver Haughton, Injured at Yonkers, Dies

VALHALLA, N.Y. — Hall of Fame harness driver Billy Haughton, winner of more 4,900 races, died at a suburban New York hospital Tuesday of severe head injuries suffered in an accident at Yonkers Raceway.

Haughton died at the Valhalla hospital at 8:30 a.m, Westchester County Medical Center spokesman Jim Patrick said.

Haughton, 62, was thrown onto his head during a July 5 accident, in which his horse, Sonny Key, collided with a downed horse. At one point, Haughton stopped breathing. He was revived but later lapsed into a coma.

A director of the U.S. Trotting Assn., Haughton rose to prominence as one of the leading driver-trainers in the 1950s and 1960s.

“There was no one more widely respected as a professional horseman,” said USTA spokesman John Pawlak, “and Mr. Haughton represented all the best there was about the profession of driving harness horses.”

“Haughton meant every bit as much to harness racing as Arnold Palmer means to golf or Babe Ruth meant to baseball,” said driver-trainer Del Miller, founder of The Meadows.

“He was the most complete horseman that the sport had,” said Miller, also a Hall of Fame driver-trainer. “The game will miss him tremendously. He was a wonderful person. We played and worked hard together. It’s a sad day for harness racing.”

Meadowlands General Manager Sam Anzalone said: “On behalf of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, all remaining stakes in our standardbred meet will be dedicated to Haughton’s memory.”

Neurologists confirmed Haughton sustained severe brain injuries and lost brain stem function, Patrick said. From the time of admission his condition was critical.

Haughton, a Jericho, N.Y., resident, was born in Gloversville, N.Y., and was known in harness circles as “The Master.” He won a total of 4,910 races.

Among horses he drove were “Green Speed,” 1977 harness horse of the year, “Handle With Care,” a well-known pacing mare and “Nihilator,” who last year became the richest standardbred ever.

Haughton was among the top 10 money-winning drivers each year from 1949 to 1978, ranking first 12 times. He was the top money-winner from 1952-59.

In the same period, Haughton was ranked in the top 10 in victories 18 times, including six straight Dash-Win titles between 1953 and 1958.

Haughton curtailed his driving recently but still drove 73 winners and won $1.8 million in 1985. His total career winning purses were $40.2 million.

He won the pacing Triple Crown with “Rum Customer” in 1968, the year he was inducted into the Harness Hall of Fame in Goshen, N.Y.

Haughton won the Messenger Stakes at Roosevelt Raceway seven times. Last season, he drove “Valentina” to victory in the La Paloma for 2-year-old pacing fillies at Yonkers.

He was a five-time winner of the Little Brown Jug race.

Haughton won the Hambletonian four times, the last time in 1980 with “Burgomeister,” a colt co-owned and developed by Haughton’s son Peter.

Peter, a promising driver, was killed in January, 1980, in a car crash while leaving the Meadowlands.

Haughton dedicated Burgomeister’s campaign to Peter’s memory, saying after the victory, “I just wish Peter could have been here.”

Survivors include Haughton’s wife, Dorothy; three sons, William Jr., Tommy and Robert; and a daughter, Holly Ann. The family lives in the Jericho area.

Funeral services are scheduled for Friday morning at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Brookville, N.Y. Burial will follow at Holy Rood Cemetery in Westbury, N.Y.