When Safe From Terror surprised the field and bettors by winning the Sept. 5 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes championship at 45-1, some may have dismissed it as a fluke.
They likely won’t be saying that about her any longer, as she scored her second consecutive upset, this time at 5-1, in Wednesday’s $170,000 Nadia Lobell for three-year-old filly pacers at The Meadows — and took the overland route to do it.
Sassa Hanover wanted the lead from the rail, but she was pressured early by Divine Caroline and Storm Point, forcing her to step a lively opening half in fractions of :26.3 and :54.4. With all that early speed, winning driver Matt Kakaley knew the front end might collapse, but wasn’t sure third over was the place to be.
“I was a little worried,” Kakaley said, “but I wanted to get her out in the flow of the race anyway. It worked out perfect, really, because the front end kind of fell apart off the last turn.”
Safe From Terror moved four-wide through the stretch to down another closer, The Show Returns, by a length in 1:50.4, a career-best. Divine Caroline was full of pace, but lacked room and had to settle for show.
The back-to-back upsets by the daughter of Western Terror-In A Safe Place didn’t surprise Kakaley.
“I’ve won a lot of races with this filly and she’s always been very, very good,” he said. “There was a point for a few starts where she was just okay, not great, but she was very good today.”
Ron Burke trains Safe From Terror, who now boasts $449,992 in lifetime earnings, for Our Horse Cents Stables, Stable 45 and J&T Silva Stables.
In the $20,000 Filly & Mare Not Listed Preferred/Preferred Handicap Pace, Certified Ideal collected a front-end victory — her third in the last four starts — in 1:51.2 for Tony Hall, trainer Randy Bendis and owners Mike Novosel, Jr., Tom Pollack, James Walton and Bendis. Do Me Honor was second, half a length back, with Jaded Dream third. The five-year-old daughter of Western Ideal-Arebas Last soared over $400,000 in career earnings. The win was one of four for Hall on the 15-race card.
(The Meadows)