Fast Snap is rewarding Paul Davies’ patience

by Matthew Lomon

When Paul Davies and his wife Nicole closed for $24,000 on Hip #275 at the 2023 London Classic Yearling Sale, the couple, as Paul recalls, had “already bought too many.”

But there was something about the eye-catching bay trotter known as Fast Snap that spurred Paul to keep his checkbook open a little while longer.

“Me and Nicole look at all the babies together; she’s got a good eye for them,” the Arthur, ON-based trainer/driver said.

“He was going later in the sale, and I saw that he wasn’t going for a super high price, so I stepped ahead and I started bidding.”

Apparently, the couple was not on the same page at that moment.

“While that was happening, Nicole was behind me saying, ‘No. No,’” Paul said with a laugh. “But I liked him… He’s just a good-looking horse.”

Enamored by the individual, a son of Archangel—Candidcamerakosmos whose siblings enjoyed modest racing careers, Paul’s impromptu decision was shaping up as an instant hit.

“We shipped into Mohawk to train,” he said. “I was cutting the mile with him and a couple of pacers were training with me. Down the stretch, when I asked him, they couldn’t even get to me and I said to myself, ‘This is a nice horse.’

“He was trotting great, and he wanted to do it.”

A fleet-footed Fast Snap was developing steadily during his 2-year-old year, training down to 2:06 and covering the half-mile split in one minute flat with minimal urging from Paul.

However, not long after, the budding gelding’s progress was halted by the discovery of a chip in his ankle.

Paul acted swiftly in response to the news, shutting Fast Snap down in preparation for surgery.

The successful procedure had Fast Snap on stall rest for about a month, where he recovered on time, without any complications.

Those, unfortunately, came after.

“Following his stall rest, I turned him out for a month, and I trained him back down,” Paul said. “I also had a filly who was the morning-line favorite in the [Ontario Sires Stakes] Prospect Series final at London [at The Raceway at Western Fair District], and I was going to school him that morning and race her that night, but then a virus hit the barn.

“That wrecked the entire 2-year-old year for him. I just shut him right down for another three months until the next year, his 3-year-old year.”

While not an easy pill to swallow, the sight of something special hinted at brighter days ahead.

“He showed me enough that I had no problem waiting on him,” Paul said. “Sure, it sucks when you invest all this money and time in your horses and unfortunate things happen, but he was definitely worth waiting on.”

So, began the process of bringing Fast Snap back up to racing speed – and once again, the treasured trotter left his trainer in awe.

“He trained back awesome from December 2024 on,” Paul said. “The week before he qualified at Flamboro [on March 29, 2025], I schooled him in 2:01 with a last quarter in :28, and he did it very easy.”

Paul wasn’t the only one taking notice of Fast Snap on the track.

“I remember Shawn Steacy — I tipped off his back, he had a pacer — and as I was going by, he did a double take and came to me after and said, ‘What was that you had?’ I said, ‘Oh, just an unraced trotter,’” Paul said with a laugh.

Fast Snap, with Paul in the race bike, made his professional debut on April 3, 2025, at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The strong second place showing at 84-1 set the table for a triumphant Ontario-Sired Spring Series appearance eight days later.

Flying high after the hard-earned half-length maiden victory, Paul coached Fast Snap to a third in the Spring Series final and runner-up finish to eventual OSS Gold final winner Galen Erso in the SBOA final.

Fast Snap followed his foe into Gold competition, holding his own with finishes of third, fourth, and fifth.

The tenacious then-sophomore remained a steady weekly presence for Paul before running out of steam after a Grassroots leg that September.

“I think he just got a little tired,” Paul said. “He’s great at the farm; he’s two fingers — a kid could jog him or train him or anything — but when he goes to the track, he stresses himself out a bit. He’s a sweetheart to work with anywhere you are, but on the track on race nights, he gets himself a little worked up, so I think he just wore himself out a little bit.

“There were no lameness issues or anything. He’s a nice horse and Archangel’s are known to get better with age, so I said, ‘We have a nice horse here and he only has two wins. Let’s shut him down and bring him back.’”

The down time has since paid dividends for Fast Snap, who after a brief ramp up period to begin his 4-year-old season, has won consecutive starts at Flamboro Downs.

As a proud Paul noted, it was the right time for a change.

“When I moved him at the head of the stretch, he shot past the horses,” Paul said. “Even though they only went 1:59.3, the way he did it was pretty impressive.

“He trotted a mile in 1:52 and change last year, so you know the speed’s there. Really, this time of year, it’s getting tough at Mohawk, I thought maybe he’s just not ready to go with them yet.”

The encouraging April 16 effort earned Fast Snap a mandatory promotion next time out. Paul, however, wondered if things were moving too fast.

“The way the classes work, he had to go right up,” Paul said. “I was actually pretty nervous about making that big of a jump with him.”

A handy draw of the rail eased Paul’s worries, and a game Fast Snap laid them to rest completely.

“He was absolutely perfect to drive,” Paul said. “I had a nice hold of him, and I could have left in :27 and change if I wanted to – that’s how he felt. I didn’t want to chase him out. I wanted position, and I ended up being on the front and Travis Henry got stung with Mercutio… I asked him [Fast Snap] once coming off the last turn and he just opened up.

“You never know how a four-year-old is going to do stepping up against top class horses, and there were some very classy horses with a lot of money on their cards in that race. I was extremely impressed with how easy he did it.”

Free to compete without interruption, Fast Snap is finding his groove for the folks who went over capacity to take a chance on him.

“He’s come back great, and he looks great,” Paul said. “He’s maturing a lot right now. He’s put on a bunch of weight. His hair looks good. He’s feeling good and he wants to do it. It’s not something you can teach, it’s just something they have, and he’s got it.”

While projecting where Fast Snap might go — or any horse for that matter — is its own gamble, Paul sees parallels between his current protégé and the former star of his stable, Outlawgrabbingears.

“He came here from Alberta and ended his career with $400,000 on his card,” Paul said. “He was a top B-track horse for me here, making about $150,000 the hard way, grinding it out on the B-tracks.

“If Fast Snap can turn into something like that, I’d be more than happy. But if he plateaus at whatever he is, he’s going to be the most honest horse doing it.”

The instant connection between Paul and Fast Snap was tested in subsequent years, but neither’s faith has wavered in the face of adversity.

Weathering hardships has become their superpower, and a defining element of their still unfolding story.

“Since day one, he’s been my favorite horse,” Paul said. “In the barn, he’s a sweetheart. He’s the type that if you put him on the cross ties and have to go do something and forget about him for a second, he won’t even move a foot. He doesn’t get antsy or paw; he’s an absolute sweetheart of an animal.

“He’s one of my favorite horses… I’ve turned down way too much money for him already.”