Canadian Horse of the Year MOIRA, coming off one of the biggest wins of her career in the Canadian Stakes (G2), will try to end her 2023 Woodbine campaign with an even bigger prize, the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes on Sunday.
Winner of the Queen’s Plate and Woodbine Oaks in 2022, Moira had a big run in the Taylor last fall when second by a neck but she was disqualified. This year, the popular daughter of Ghostzapper was second in three straight graded stakes races before exploding to a giant win in the 1 1/8 mile Canadian on turf.
Reunited with her 2022 rider, Rafael Hernandez, Moira defeated American invaders Skims and Atomic Blonde that day, and those two are in the Taylor field of ten.
Moira, trained by Kevin Attard for X-Men Racing, Madaket Stable and SF Bloodstock, is hip number 156 in the prestigious Fasig-Tipton November Sale of breeding and racing horses on November 7. She is being offered as a racing or broodmare prospect by consignor Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa, agent.
The Taylor will not be an easy task for Moira, as the powerful Godolphin and Charlie Appleby team have WITH THE MOONLIGHT entered. The Irish-bred is 6-for-13 in her career and she won the Group 2 Balanchine Stakes in February in Dubai and last summer traveled to New York and won the Saratoga Oaks (G3). The daughter of Frankel makes her first start since May and will race on Lasix.
Trainer Chad Brown has three gals entered including the fast-improving four-year-old CONSUMER SPENDING, ROCKY SKY (IRE) and KALIFORNIA QUEEN, who was third by just half a length in the 2021 Taylor.
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