Panagiotis “Peter” Synnefias took his first baby steps at the now-defunct Rockingham Park in New Hampshire. During last Saturday’s NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes undercard he took a major career leap at Monmouth Park when his trainee Surface to Air was the 19-1 upset winner of the $400,000, Grade 3 Monmouth Cup.

That gave the 26-year-old, who started training full-time in 2022, both his first stakes win and first graded stakes win.

“It’s a surreal feeling. It came out of the blue,” said Synnefias, currently tied for sixth in the Monmouth Park trainer standings with nine wins. “We expected the best and the results came through. We try to get them ready as best as we can, always have them fit, and put them in the right spot.

“Obviously, these races are a little different because you never know what you’re going to come up against. They’re tough, but we liked our horse with his works going into the race behind him.”

Surface to Air, whom he claimed for $30,000 out of a maiden race at Keeneland in April 2024 for Premier Stable owner Brian Shyda, was seventh in the 2024 edition of the Monmouth Cup and finished third in the Grade 3 Salvador Mile on a sloppy track he did not care for here last time out.

Surface to Air’s victory was also the first stakes win and graded stakes victory for Shyda, and the first graded stakes victory for jockey Samuel Marin.

“It’s incredible. It’s something I dreamed about,” said Marin. “I don’t have words to say what this means. It’s amazing. I hope there are more graded stakes wins to come for me.”

Shyda, who has 14 horses in training with Synnefias, said, “I had tears in my eyes in the winner’s circle. I bought my first horse when I was in high school. I’ve waited all my life for this. My first stakes win, my first graded stakes win.”

Peter Synnefias is the grandson of Peter Bazeos, who trained and owned horses on the old New England circuit that included the old Suffolk Downs in Boston and was later based at the Pennsylvania tracks. He is the son of trainer Dimitrios Synnefias, who runs horses in the Mid-Atlantic and had a runner-up finish in an allowance race on the Haskell card Saturday.

“I was in the barn from the time I was a newborn,” said Synnefias, who is the father of three youngsters aged 11 months to seven. “We lived in Greece for a while and my parents started putting me on horses when I was two or three years old and let me ride around the paddock. I started working around the barn, just walking hots, grooming and worked my way up.”

Thoroughbred racing is in his blood and there was never a question what career path he would pursue when he grew up.

“All my life I’ve wanted to do this. Nothing else,” said Synnefias, who has English Painter entered in Friday’s eighth race at Monmouth Park. “I have three siblings, and my brother is an assistant to my father. My two sisters love the horses, too.”

By the time he was 21 Synnefias was training horses for himself while working as a groom for his dad at Penn National. Then he got the call from his first owner to claim a horse for $10,000, and soon thereafter had his own stalls in the same barn as his father.

“I focused on my first four of five horses. My first win was a $5,000 never win two lifetime named Dream of Warrior at Penn National,” he recalled.

This is the second season he has been based at Monmouth Park. A year ago, he won 13 races from 42 starters at the Jersey Shore track.

“Last year was my first time moving away from home,” he said. “I’m a homebody and a family guy so it was tough. But we did it and we had a really good meet last year,” he said.

“I have 24 in the barn now. We’re doing great and it’s great,” he said.

Synnefias credits Shyda for giving him a leg up as a trainer.

“Brian was my first guy who gave me a chance,” he said. “I had horses with other guys, but he took me to the next step, going to Keeneland. We went and claimed there and that’s how we got our first Keeneland win with Gate Keeper.

“The next season we claimed four, and Surface to Air was one of those. From there it picked up. We started claiming at Monmouth. We were at Penn National for a little bit when we moved back, and then last year I made my decision to come here.”

Shyda, who is from Lebanon, Pa., and sold his sporting goods store business to his son, said that Synnefias is like another son to him.

“He’s a really good kid. He knows his horses,” said Shyda. “We come from little Penn National and I wanted to do a little bit better so we came here. We went to Keeneland last year and won and then we went to Churchill Downs and won the Claiming Crown Jewel, but unfortunately got taken down. The day I claimed this horse Peter told me this horse is going to be all right. Did we think we were going to do this? Probably not. (Saturday) was so exciting.

“Hopefully, this is the start of something big.”

In the Monmouth Cup Surface to Air beat Just a Touch, the 1-10 favorite and a multiple Grade 1-placed horse trained by Brad Cox. Classic Catch came from the barn of Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher in that race as well.

“With Just a Touch, obviously, going into the race we knew what we were running against,” Synnefias said. “Pletcher had a horse there, too. On paper these horses are the best and they’ve been running against the best. Coming here probably seemed like an easy race for them. We’ve always felt we had a good horse, but sometimes going up against horses like that is a little intimidating.

“The race set up nicely for us. All you can do is hope for the best and let the horse do the talking. On Haskell Day, with almost 42,000 people here cheering, it was amazing. It was surreal. Everybody has been coming by the barn to say congratulations. I’m the young guy here and they all knew me since I was yay-big. I always wanted this, to be on the bigger stage, with the better horses and this level of competition. Running against these guys is what I’ve always wanted.”

Now that he’s a graded stakes-winning trainer he is hoping to build off the win and recognition from it.

“The horse came back happy and healthy and went right into his feed tub,” Synnefias said. “That’s all you can ask for. If you stay true to your horse and put the horse first the rest will follow.”

Story by Lynne Snierson

Monmouth Park Publicity Staff