by Dean A. Hoffman

Snowboarder picked the right time to win his first race.

The son of Yankee Glide was a maiden entering Saturday’s $209,626 Matron Stake at Dover Downs, but he got a good trip behind pacesetting Adrian Chip and thrust his nose in front at the wire to win in 1:57.1.

FOTOWON

Snowboarder’s (1) win over World Champion Adrian Chip was the first of his racing career.

The $104,813 paycheck brought his seasonal earnings to $131,212. He was sent off at odds of nearly 7-1 by the bettors, who were probably skeptical since he hadn’t won a race in his first nine lifetime starts.

It wasn’t that Snowboarder lacked talent. It just took him time to put it all together and that’s what he did in the Matron Stakes.

“He was good from the beginning, but he was just a little goofy,” admits trainer Jimmy Takter. “He made breaks behind the gate, just stupid breaks.”

Takter picked him out of the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale in 2005, paying $52,000 for the colt, who is the second foal out of the Pine Chip mare Charisse Hanover 3, 1:56.2 ($114,436).

Takter and his son-in-law Marcus Johansson steered Snowboarder in his early starts and sensed the talent immediately.

“Marcus was second with him in 2:00.4 in late July at Tioga and that was very impressive,” says Takter.

But when the youngster made a couple breaks, Takter put trotting hobbles on. Snowboarder responded by zooming to an 18-3/4 length win in a qualifier at The Red Mile timed in 2:00.

He then put in some excellent efforts at Lexington, but broke stride in his $82,800 Bluegrass division in late September.

“He was going to win that race for sure,” says Takter. “Pierce moved him three-wide and then he broke.”

The next week at odds of 41-1 Snowboarder was third behind class leader Donato Hanover.

He failed to make the final of the Breeders Crown, but Takter was impressed when Snowboarder was second in the Matron Stake elim.

“He was very good that night,” Takter said. “He’s a game, tough horse, but he’s been a bit more complicated than most of the Yankee Glides. He’s a bit too playful at times.”

Snowboarder is among the 142 young trotters eligible to the $300,000 (est.) Valley Victory at the Meadowlands on Dec. 2, but Takter isn’t sure if he wants to start him.

“It makes for a long season, so I’ll just train him and then decide if we want to enter him,” he says.

It took a while for Snowboarder to get over his youthful foolishness, but the best may be yet to come for him.