MILTON, October 15, 2022 – Safe Conduct, close in many of his recent Ontario Sire Stakes contests put it all together at exactly the right moment, closing strongly to win the $225,000 Ontario Sire Stakes Super Final for his three-year-old trotting males group at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday.
The gelded son of Archangel, starting from post eight in the field of ten and sent off at 10-1 odds driven by Chris Christoforou got away cleanly and tucked in sixth as the early pace was disputed by Unevergonnagethis and Duly Resolved through a :26.3 quarter on the cool night.
Duly Resolved finally claimed the pacesetter’s spot midway down the backstretch, and the even money favorite looked like he might be tough after getting to the half in a relatively soft 56.1.
The outer tier lined up approaching the far turn, with first-over Tymal Tiggs followed by Twin B Archie, the second choice and last year’s winner of the Super Final for this group, with Safe Conduct in an optimal spot to follow cover third-over.
The three-quarters was reached in 1:25.1, still relatively moderate, with Duly Resolved still on top.
Horses began to fan out all over the track coming off the final turn, while Duly Resolved soon showing it wasn’t to be his night.
Twin B Archie looked well-placed, and he did have some closing kick, but not nearly as much as Safe Conduct, who was sent four-wide and quickly flashed the highest gear to win by just over a length in 1:53.3, missing his own lifetime mark by a fifth.
Sea Can, let go at 120-1, was near the back at the top of the long Mohawk stretch, then found both good strides and a forward-moving path behind Safe Conduct, finishing second after the winner had just gotten too good a jump; Twin B Archie continued on to be third.
Safe Conduct is a family horse, with the family firmly planted in Campbellville, Woodbine Mohawk’s location. Patriarch Charalambos Christoforou bred the horse in partnership with Toronto’s Banjo Farms, and he owns the horse with Irvann Holdings Inc., also of Toronto.
Chris’ wife, Camilla Christoforou, is the horse’s trainer. Safe Conduct has hit the board in 11 of 13 seasonal starts, including his fourth victory in this most important outing, and he has career earnings of $302,200.
Informed that his horse paid $22.20 to win, Chris Christoforou expressed surprise after the race:
“I would have thought he would have been 4-1, 5-1, as well as he had been racing,” said Christoforou. “He’s been very good, and he just hasn’t had the right luck sometimes – I thought he had a chance to win at London last week (where he finished third after traffic issues). Going around the last turn, I was watching the ‘body language’ of all the horses around me, and I was smiling – I knew my horse was stronger than the others looked.”
The win finishes the gelding’s OSS career with a flourish.
“I think that he could develop into a free-for-all trotter at four and beyond,” said Christoforou. “He’s been brought along carefully and not over raced, and he has developed well and can continue to develop.”
The $2 exacta of 8-10 combining Safe Conduct and Sea Can paid $1176.90, and anybody with a correct ticket having Twin B Archie third, or Archie third and 30-1 Esplosione fourth earned $10,301.10 and $19,611.25.
Full results from October 15 at Woodbine Mohawk Park
Race replays can be watched on the Woodbine Mohawk Park YouTube channel