$4,500 filly wins Saratoga stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Timothy Snyder and his one-horse road show brought down the house Friday at Saratoga.

Lisa’s Booby Trap, the only horse in Snyder’s stable, rallied from last under Kent Desormeaux to dominate the $70,000 Loudonville Stakes by six lengths over Nonna Mia. Snyder had purchased Lisa’s Booby Trap privately during the winter for $4,500 from the breeder of the filly who thought she couldn’t run. By comparison, the other four runners in the Loudonville field sold for a combined $900,000 at auction.

“There’s always a chance to win anywhere if you got the right package,” said Snyder, who is the owner and trainer of Lisa’s Bobby Trap. “I had a lot of fans supporting me here, it was really good.”

The support came from the crowd at Saratoga, which read about Snyder and his filly in the local papers. Snyder, with only $2,000 to his name, bought the Florida-bred daughter of Drewman for $4,500 and told the breeder that he would give him the rest of the money after she won a race. Snyder named the filly after his wife, Lisa, who in 2003 died of ovarian cancer, as well as a gentlemen’s club that he frequented in Florida.

Snyder believes his wife’s presence exists in Lisa’s Booby Trap, who won her first three races by a combined 36 1/2 lengths at Finger Lakes.

“I was thinking of her all day,” Snyder said of his wife.

Prior to the Loudonville, Snyder had been offered as much as $500,000 for Lisa’s Booby Trap, but he refused to sell. He remains firm in that stance.

“I just couldn’t sell her, never happen,” Snyder said.

After winning her first three starts on the lead, Lisa’s Booby Trap was last and wide early under Kent Desormeaux before launching a four-wide bid on the turn in the Loudonville. She took control outside the eighth pole and bounded home the easiest of winners in 1:09.64 for six furlongs. She returned $5 as the favorite.

Asked to describe his emotions after the race, Snyder said, “I can’t. I never had them like this. I’m shaking inside.”

Snyder and his $4,500 horse will remain in Saratoga and point to the Grade 3, $100,000 Victory Ride at six furlongs on dirt on Aug. 28 or the Grade 2, $150,000 Lake Placid Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on the turf on Aug. 22.