Kerri Raven likes doing things her own way. So, too, does her stable star Chess Master, who gave the 49-year-old Ontario native her first stakes victory in a 10-year training career when speeding to a 2 1/2-length victory Saturday in the $91,250 Turf Dash at Tampa Bay Downs. “I was so elated when he won that I felt like a little kid,” Raven said Monday from the Oldsmar, Fla., track. “I’m just so proud of him.” Raven has exercised and broken horses her entire adult life, starting in western Canada before she migrated to western American tracks. Last winter was her first at Tampa, where she claimed Chess Master on her own behalf for $32,000. Raven said she is quite particular about the way she rides and trains her horses and that Chess Master, a 6-year-old Florida-bred gelding by Overdriven, also has certain quirks that have demanded very close attention. “He can be fractious and nervous,” she said, “but if you keep him happy, he can perform like he did Saturday.” Chess Master, ridden by Jesus Castanon, earned a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure in winning for the 11th time in 27 starts. Before Raven had him, he once was risked for as little as $10,000. :: Want the best bonus in racing? Get a $250 deposit match, $10 free bet, and free Formulator with DRF Bets. Code: WINNING Raven currently oversees a stable of seven, which will expand slightly after she ships to Canterbury Park once the Tampa meet ends May 8. She said she isn’t sure where to run Chess Master next because there are no more similar high-end turf sprints for which he is eligible at the Tampa meet. She said moving to the dirt for the $110,000 NYRA Bets Sprint on Florida Cup Day, March 27, is a possibility, “or I may take him to Gulfstream or Keeneland again, although he’s not a very good shipper.” The Turf Dash is the male counterpart to the Lightning City, which was run an hour or so earlier Saturday when won by another ex-claimer in Payntdembluesaway, a 6-year-old mare who earned an 87 Beyer with her ninth win from 15 starts. Pablo Morales was up for trainer Jane Cibelli. The Turf Dash and Lightning City were the last stakes on the Tampa schedule ahead of the March 12 Festival Day card highlighted by the Tampa Bay Derby.