Pay Billy earned his first stakes victory in commanding fashion on Saturday, winning the $100,000 Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park by 3 1/2 lengths. One month after a hard-fought defeat in the Miracle Wood Stakes, the 3-year-old colt returned and delivered an even better performance. “It was impressive,” trainer Michael Gorham said after the race. “He seemed to do that pretty easy, and when he came back after the race to the winner’s circle, he didn’t seem very put-out. That’s a good sign.” Learning from Pay Billy's losing photo finish last time out, Gorham adjusted his colt's blinkers to allow for increased visibility. Last time, Pay Billy couldn't see a driving opponent beside him in the closing stages. There were no such issues in the Private Terms; stalking the early leaders on the backstretch before making a bold bid for the lead, he was already 2 1/2 lengths clear by the time he reached the stretch. Breaking from the far outside post, Pay Billy ran outside of rivals throughout the race, but it had no bearing on his energy at the end. Jockey Raul Mena gave the winner a very confident ride, and running wide with a clear path was all Pay Billy needed. The second choice in the race, he paid $5.80 to win. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. After an impressive victory on Laurel's 3-year-old stakes trail, the natural next step for Pay Billy will be the $150,000 Federico Tesio Stakes next month. The winner of that race automatically qualifies for the Preakness in May. It's far too early for Gorham to finalize plans, but he said that the Federico Tesio would be a reasonable target. “That’s probably where we’re going to go, and that’s the steppingstone to the Preakness," Gorham said. "If he can be successful there and run a big race, then the Preakness isn’t out of the question.” Behind Pay Billy, Sacred Thunder also passed tiring leaders to finish as runner-up in the Private Terms, though he never came close to seriously challenging the winner. Even-money favorite Tony Eclipse returned to his front-running ways, but faded quickly and finished last, succumbing to early pressure to his outside from Baby Dukes, who held on for third at 13-1 odds. Beyond the Wire Stakes Safe Trust, a 3-year-old filly trained by Jose Corrales, won the $100,000 Beyond The Wire Stakes by disqualification at Laurel Park on Saturday. Moon Cache, a 17-1 shot trained by Michael Gorham, was taken down after moving out several paths and impeding Safe Trust in the stretch. Making a powerful move on the turn to take command, Moon Cache seemed like a certain upset winner with a furlong to go when Safe Trust began charging down the center of the track. The deep closer quickly closed ground, but when she drew even with the tiring leader, she couldn't get past and came up short by a nose. Following the photo finish, Corrales said that he was already on his way to the winner's circle to congratulate Moon Cache's connections when he noticed that an inquiry had been posted.  “I went downstairs with my son, and then I was looking at the television and I saw that [Moon Cache] came to the outside and bumped my horse,” Corrales said. “I said, ‘Oof! I think I have a chance to win!’ ” Head-on replays clearly showed that Moon Cache moved out and bumped Safe Trust near the wire. Following a short review, the stewards reversed the winning order. Safe Trust paid $7.60 to win. Corrales's filly entered the Beyond The Wire with four finishes in the money in stakes competition, none resulting in a victory. The most recent defeat came behind Onyx Ten, who finished fifth on Saturday as the even-money favorite. Corrales didn't know if his filly could beat her, but he wore his navy blue suit in case. His son stood beside him for a photo in the winner's circle. “You want to look good for the photo, if you can,” Corrales said. “I was just happy having my kid right there next to me.” In her last three starts, Safe Trust found success running near the front, but her winning ride under jockey Denis Araujo on Saturday more closely resembled her closing style as a 2-year-old. It may have required a verdict from the stewards, but the filly displayed versatility and improving form that could serve her well as she carries on in her 2025 campaign. As for Moon Cache, a filly acquired by Gorham in a $40,000 claiming race last time out, a disqualified victory in the Beyond The Wire was a vastly pleasant surprise. Gorham, who just missed out on a stakes double after Pay Billy's win in the Private Terms, had no complaints. “We just claimed her, and to run in a race like that off the claim is a huge move anyway,” Gorham said. “But she was impressive. She impressed me.” Though she would have struggled to hold off Safe Trust without contact at the wire, Moon Cache still finished well ahead of several stakes winners. Burner Account, an upset stakes winner at Parx Racing last time out, finish third at 29-1 odds. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.