Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing's

Personality of the Month
for July 2009

Jeffrey Snyder

Jeffrey Snyder, born in New York City, grew up going to the races at Yonkers, Roosevelt and Monticello. He bought his first horse, Senator Flin, in the mid-1970s, and his involvement in the sport grew from there.

Jeffrey Snyder

Snyder owns Etna Products Company, Inc., a New York-based manufacturing and importing concern of giftware, houseware and toys. He took the plunge into horse ownership over 25 years ago, buying claimers for trainer Buddy Reagan on the New York circuit.

Eventually, he began investing in young horses, specifically the offspring of one particular mare--Jef's Magic Trick. Snyder had seen one of her sons--Direct Current--race many times and purchased his half-brother, Cam's Trickster, during his 2-year-old career before sending him to stallion duty in New Zealand. From the same family, he also purchased a filly named Cam's Magic and a colt named Cam's Magic Trick, who earned $469,899 in his career. The next son of Jef's Magic Trick was a colt named Cam's Card Shark.

Cam's Card Shark had a record career, including a 3-year-old season that most owners can only dream of as he won the Berry's Creek, the North America Cup and the Meadowland's Pace en route to $2 million in earnings in 1994 and being named Horse of the Year, while Snyder was named Owner of the Year.

In 2001, Snyder's pacing colt Red River Hanover won the Champlain Stake and the Nassagaweya at Mohawk. The 3-year-old Gunthatwonthewest won the Berry's Creek at The Meadowlands in May 2002, taking the North America Cup and the Prix de Montreal. For the year, he stacked up $816,445 in earnings and took a mark of 1:48.4. Snyder was the sole owner of Million Dollar Cam, who won the 2002 Adios and the Little Brown Jug, while earning $729,701.

In 2003 Cardholder won a divison of the Niatross. Village Jolt, a son of Cam's Card Shark, won the 2004 Dan Patch Award as top 2-year-old male pacing freshman after winning the Breeders Crown and Woodrow Wilson while earning $918,577. He finished second to another Snyder horse in the Metro Pace--Rocknroll Hanover. This colt became the first 2-year-old pacer to pace under 1:50, winning the Metro in 1:49.4 at Woodbine for Snyder.

"There were a lot of "They had ugly heads. They did this; they did that. But I stayed by his side all throughout. The very first crop had Royalflush Hanover, who was my first really big success story with Cam's Card Shark, and Mystical Shark, too. He was second in the (1999) Meadowlands Pace and won a (Little Brown) Jug heat. He hurt himself and was retired to stud. That horse didn't know how fast he was. Sharky Spur and Seven Card Hanover were also from that crop."

"You don't have to be a good looking horse to win a big race," Snyder noted. "The Cam's Card Sharks have grit like their sire, Cam Fella. I was a big fan of Cam Fella. I also had two brothers to Cam's Card Shark -- Cam's Trickster and Cam's Magic Trick -- and also the half sister to Cam's Card Shark, Michelle's Jackpot."

In 2009, Snyder captured the North America Cup once more, this time with Well Said.