Jeff Snyder knows he owns the one horse with a chance to capture this year’s Pacing Triple Crown. He also knows it’s not worth thinking about until after his horse, Dealt A Winner, competes in the second leg of the series, Saturday’s Messenger Stakes for three-year-old pacers at Yonkers Raceway.

“If he wins Saturday, he’ll have a better shot,” Snyder said with a laugh. “Then we’ll give a lot more thought to it. It will be a lot more exciting then.

“But in this business, you’ve got to go one race at a time.”

Dealt A Winner won the first jewel of the Pacing Triple Crown, the Cane Pace, at odds of 26-1 with a world-record performance on Hambletonian Day, Aug. 8, at the Meadowlands. He will start the $500,000 Messenger Stakes from post five with Yonkers’ leading driver Jason Bartlett at the lines for trainer Mark Silva. It will be only his second career race on a half-mile track, but he won last year’s Lou Babic Pace at Freehold with Bartlett in the sulky.

In addition to the Messenger Stakes, Yonkers on Saturday hosts the $500,000 Yonkers Trot, which is the second leg of the Trotting Triple Crown. Pinkman, who won the first jewel, the Hambletonian Stakes, will start the Yonkers Trot from post seven with Yannick Gingras driving for trainer Jimmy Takter.

Post time is 7:10 p.m. for the first race. The Yonkers Trot is race six, at 8:50 p.m. approximately, and the Messenger is race eight, at 9:30 p.m. approximately.

The most recent horse to win the Trotting Triple Crown was Glidemaster in 2006. The most recent horse to sweep the Pacing Triple Crown was No Pan Intended in 2003. The final jewel of the Pacing Triple Crown is the Little Brown Jug, which will be held Sept. 24 at the Delaware County Fair in Ohio.

Dealt A Winner has won one of nine races this year after capturing five of six starts last season. He finished second to In The Arsenal in a Meadowlands Pace elimination and fourth in the final, when a :26 last quarter-mile left him a half-length from second.

He has earned $363,439 during his career.

Purchased for $35,000 at the Standardbred Horse Sale under the name Lazzo Hanover, Dealt A Winner is a son of stallion Cams Card Shark -- who was the 1994 Horse of the Year and owned by Snyder -- and mare Lazan Hanover. His second dam, Lodi Hanover, is the mother of million-dollar-earner Timesareachanging, who also was sired by Cam’s Card Shark.

Timesareachanging was the 2004 Dan Patch Award winner for best 3-year-old male pacer and captured two jewels in the Pacing Triple Crown, the Cane Pace and Little Brown Jug. He finished second to Metropolitan in the Messenger.

“I always look to find a Cams Card Shark (offspring) at the sale and (Dealt A Winner) was the one I picked,” Snyder said. “Timesareachanging attracted me to him.”

Dealt A Winner won the Cane Pace after a duel for the lead between favourite Wiggle It Jiggleit and In The Arsenal resulted in a :52.1 opening half-mile. Dealt A Winner and driver David Miller rallied from fifth place with a three-wide move on the final turn and sprinted home in :26.3 to post a 1-1/4 length victory over Artspeak in 1:47.3. The time is the fastest ever for a three-year-old gelding.

Dudes The Man, who won this year’s Adios and finished third in the Cane Pace, will start the Messenger from post one with George Brennan driving for trainer Jessica Okusko. In The Arsenal, who won the Art Rooney Pace at Yonkers on May 30, got post No. 3 with Brian Sears in the sulky for trainer Kelvin Harrison. In The Arsenal has made five starts at Yonkers during his career, winning four.

“If he can get into the race early enough, we’re looking for him to race very well,” Snyder said about Dealt A Winner. “Unfortunately, Dudes The Man got the rail and In The Arsenal got the three hole, so hopefully he’ll get a good trip somehow. But this horse can go first over. He’s got a lot of heart, a lot of desire to win. Hopefully he’ll bring his ‘A’ game on Saturday night.”

Following is the field for the Messenger Stakes with listed drivers and trainers (final changes yet to be made).

1. Dudes The Man -- George Brennan - Jessica Okusko
2. Revenge Shark -- Yannick Gingras - Tony Alagna
3. In The Arsenal -- Brian Sears - Kelvin Harrison
4. Roland N Rock -- Daniel Dube - Rob Harmon
5. Dealt A Winner -- Jason Bartlett - Mark Silva
6. Rock N Roll World -- Daniel Dube - Mark Silva
7. Rollin Ring Afire -- Tim Tetrick - Charlie Norris
8. National Seelster -- Eric Carlson - Chris Ryder

This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.