Snyder’s recollections of his memorable Meadowlands Pace hat trick
by Debbie Little
They say you never forget your first, and that’s certainly the case for owner Jeffrey Snyder when it came to winning the Meadowlands Pace.
It probably didn’t hurt that his first of a record three Pace prizewinners was also his all-time favorite horse, Cam’s Card Shark.
“Not only was he a great racehorse, but he was also a sire of sires, you know, having sired Bettors Delight and so many other top horses,” Snyder said.
Even though it’s been 34 years since Snyder purchased the then yearling son of Cam Fella out of the B.G’s Bunny mare Jef’s Magic Trick in 1992, he remembers it all like it was yesterday.
“We bought him from Bob Unice and Ed Freidberg; Ed owned Jef’s Stdbrd Country Club [breeder of Cam’s Card Shark],” Snyder said. “Before we bought Cam’s Card Shark, I had my first big horse — outside of claimers — named Cam’s Magic Trick that Mickey McGivern trained.”
Snyder bought Cam’s Magic Trick (p, 3, 1:52.4f; $469,899) — a full-brother to Cam’s Card Shark — as a yearling in 1991.
“We went to Heritage Hill Farm and we just fell in love with Cam’s Card Shark,” Snyder said. “He was a very good 2-year-old. Unfortunately, he didn’t race that many times because he had bucked shins, which is a thoroughbred problem normally.
“We just had so much confidence in him, and during the offseason, I called Bill Robinson and I asked him to train him as a 3-year-old and he was just tremendous.
“He set the all-time earnings mark for a single season at that time [$2,264,714].”
Cam’s Card Shark ended his career in Delaware, OH, at the Little Brown Jug where he was 1-9 on the board in his elimination before being scratched.
“John Campbell said, ‘He’s not sound enough to go,’ and that was the end of his career,” Snyder said. “He stood stud at Hanover Shoe Farms for his entire career, and he’s our favorite horse.”
In 1994, as a sophomore, Cam’s Card Shark had a record of 15-2-0 in 18 starts and was the Dan Patch, Nova, and O’Brien 3-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year as well as the Dan Patch Pacer and Horse of the Year.
Snyder said even though Cam’s Card Shark won several top stakes at 3, including the North America Cup, the Meadowlands Pace stood out, because it was the top race in that division.
“At that time, it was a million-dollar race, and it was the highlight of our 3-year-old year for sure,” Snyder said. “There was a lot of stress. There was a great crop of 3-year-olds. He raced against Pacific Rocket that year and Expensive Scooter… It was totally exciting because it was our first [Pace] win and Cam’s Card Shark was our first really big-time horse.”
Cam’s Card Shark was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Goshen, NY, in 2007.
In 2005, Snyder made his second visit to the Meadowlands Pace winner’s circle thanks to the Brett Pelling-trained and Brian Sears-driven Rocknroll Hanover.
“He was the first crop of Western Ideal, and we bought him at the Harrisburg Sale,” Snyder said of Rocknroll Hanover. “He came out of an amazing broodmare named Rich N Elegant, and she produced so many champions. She was one of the all-time great broodmares.”
Prior to leaving Harrisburg with Rocknroll Hanover for $190,000 in 2003, Snyder had purchased three other yearlings out of Rich N Elegant: Royalflush Hanover ($100,000 in 1997), Red River Hanover ($300,000 in 2000), and Righteous Hanover ($375,000 in 2001). “Royalflush” (p, 4, 1:49.3m; $2,153,893) was a gelded son of Cam’s Card Shark, while “Red River” (p, 3, 1:48.4s; $965,426) and “Righteous” (p, 4, 1:53.2s; $48,358) were both sons of Western Hanover.
“The year that Rocknroll Hanover won the Pace, we also had Village Jolt,” Snyder said. “He was the [Dan Patch, Nova, and O’Brien] 2-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year [in 2004]. Rocknroll Hanover and Village Jolt finished 1-2 in the Metro Pace.”
Village Jolt (p, 3, 1:50.4f; $1,634,220) finished second in the Meadowlands Pace to Rocknroll Hanover at 13-1.
“That was quite a year,” Snyder said. “That same year we had another one called named Cam’s Fool [p, 3, 1:50.2m; $825,917]. I think he was ninth [in the Pace]. So, I had three in there, so that was exciting.”
Rocknroll Hanover was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Goshen, NY, in 2012.
In 2009, Snyder bought his final Pace champion, Well Said, at the Standardbred Horse Sale for $240,000.
“He was a beautiful yearling and he was out of a mare called Must See [p, 2, 1:52m; $487,122], who was a top race filly out of a great family,” Snyder said. “I was looking for a trainer to give the horse to [at the sale]. I didn’t know who to give him to, and I saw Steve Elliott walking around at the Harrisburg Sale. So, I said, ‘Steve, would you take this ticket? Would you train this horse for me?’ He did, and the rest is history.
“He won the Meadowlands Pace as well as the North America Cup and many other races.”
Well Said (p, 3, 1:47.3m; $2,569,342) was the Dan Patch and O’Brien 3-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year, as well as the Dan Patch Pacer of the Year in 2009.
Snyder said he feels fortunate that he did as well as he did in the Meadowlands Pace.
“They were all favorites, and you had to feel confident that you had a good shot to win… and all three of them won easily,” Snyder said. “They were all odds-on favorites, so you had to feel confident when you’re the morning-line favorite, but there’s always stress, there’s always tension. You never know what can happen in a horse race.
“You were a made stallion after winning that race… All three of them won the North America Cup as well, which were the two million-dollar races of the year, but winning the Meadowlands Pace kind of sealed the deal, I would say.”
Nine of the 42 North America Cup winners — 21 per cent — also won the Meadowlands Pace, but of those nine, three were owned by Snyder, which is 33 per cent. That number is even more striking when you consider that Snyder never owned a large quantity of horses in any given year.
“I never really had many horses,” he said. “Maybe a little more than I have now, but pretty much the same number. I’ve been fortunate to win those races; to stick with good mares, good sires, and everything worked out well.”
It does not appear that Snyder will be increasing his Meadowlands Pace win number anytime soon as he currently only owns top trotters.
But he said never count him out, maybe he’ll have another change of pace.
“You win some, you lose some, but you’ve got to keep on playing the cards,” Snyder said. “That’s what Bill Perretti said, ‘Keep on playing, keep on playing.’”
