Nine fillies and mares, including Queen’s Plate/Woodbine Oaks winner MOIRA, will go after the top prize in the Grade 1 $750,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes (up from $600,000 last year) part of a stellar stakes-filled Saturday card of racing at Woodbine.
Moira is attempting to be the first Canadian-bred to win the prestigious E.P. Taylor since 1973 when champion SQUARE ANGEL won for Preston Gilbrde. Square Angel was bred by E.P. Taylor.
The 67th E.P. Taylor (previously the Nettie Stakes), a 1 ¼-mile turf test for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and upward, is complemented by the Grade 2 $250,000 Nearctic, a 6-furlong grass engagement for 3-year-olds and upward, and the Grade 3 $150,000 Durham Cup, a 1 1/16-mile main track test for 3-year-olds and upward.
Trained by Kevin Attard for X-Men Racing, Madaket Stables LLC and SF Racing LLC, Moira, a bay daughter of Ghostzapper-Devine Aida,by Unbridled’s Song will be testing out the turf for the first time.
Bred in Ontario by Adena Springs, Moira romped to victory in the 163rd running of the Plate on August 21, a seven-length score that came three weeks after a 10 ¾-length, head-turning performance in the Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser.
With the win, Moira became the eighth filly to notch the Oaks-Plate double, joining such greats as Dance Smartly, Flaming Page, Holy Helena, Inglorious, and Lexie Lou.
Moira, who has won all three of her 2022 engagements, is now 4-1-0 from five career starts.
The decision to run her in the E.P. Taylor was made after several discussions between her connections.
“Obviously, it’s a big step up and on a surface she’s never run on before, but she’s always responded to every challenge,” said Attard. “We were very happy with her work on the course and after we talked about our options, we made the decision to run here.”
In a pair of 2-year-old starts she won the Princess Elizabeth and was second in the Grade 3 Mazarine, earning a Sovereign nomination for champion 2-year-old filly.
X-Men Racing is a syndicate of racing friends put together by high-profile bloodstock agent Donato Lanni. The group is comprised of Lanni, Robert LeBlanc, Steve Heimbecker, Clay Horner, David Anderson, John Fielding, Alexandra Verret, Daniel Plouffe, Gabriel Dimiele, and American Nick Pelligreen.
Lanni took to Twitter shortly after it was announced Moira would be running in the E.P. Taylor: “Looking forward to Saturday! Thank you for all the love and support!”
Attard, who sent out Moira to work 5 panels on the E.P. Taylor, in 1:01.20, breezing, on October 1, echoed the same sentiment.
“The support we’ve received from our fans here at Woodbine has been amazing,” said the winner of 639 career races, who will also send out 4-year-old Munnyfor Ro, the 2020 Oaks winner, in the E.P. Taylor. “We really appreciate it and hope everyone will come out and cheer Moira on.”
Standing in Moira’s way is a salty group of turf talents, including the lone European invader, the 3-year-old filly MYLADY (GER), who will race with Lasix for the first time in the Taylor. Andrasche Starke will fly from Europe to ride.
Bred and owned by Gestut Karlshof, the daughter of The Grey Gatsby (IRE)-Minoris (FR), by Dabirsin (Fr) heads into her first start outside of Germany off a third-place finish, just three-quarters of a length behind the winner, highly regarded Toskana Belle, in the Group 1 German Oaks on August 7.
Trained by Markus Klug, Mylady (GER) sports a record of 3-1-1 from seven starts.
“I think she is the best horse I have ever sent over here,” said owner Holger Faust (Gestut Karlshof), part of German-based connections who have raced starters at Woodbine in the past, including 2019 Grade 1 Pattison Canadian International runner-up Alounak. “The thing about her is that she runs all the classic races in Germany, and unfortunately, we found out in the German Derby that she does not stay the distance, the 12 furlongs.
“In the German Oaks, we tried her out at 2,200 metres, and she came, she was there, but in the last furlong she struggled and was just following the first two horses. So, after that, we had the impression that maybe the 10 furlongs suits her best because her three wins have all been in that range. Now, we feel we have found the perfect distance for her.”
Mylady (GER) was an efficient debut winner last August, besting six rivals in a 7 ½-furlong race at Mulheim. It was the start of three straight victories.
Faust, also the manager of Darius Racing, believes the grey will appreciate the long turf stretch at Woodbine.
“She’s a very honest filly and a very easy to handle filly because she’s run on many different courses, left-hand, right-hand, and they all suited her. She’s run every type of ground. The only time when she was disappointing was in the [Group 2] 2000 German Guineas against the colts and that was because she had an infection. All the other races, she finished well, and she did run at her best.
“I don’t worry about the course at all. She travelled well and the groom said she was drinking well and very quiet on the flight. She and the groom, they really like the stables at Woodbine. Mylady (GER) is eating well and doing well. So far, knock on wood, everything is fine ahead of the race. I’m excited. Very, very excited because she is my filly, owned by my family. We have raced at Woodbine before and tried many times to get something, and I think if she runs at her best, we have a chance to make it happen on Saturday.”
One of the world’s top trainers, Chad Brown, will start ROUGIR, winner of the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera at Longchamp in 2021, who won the Grade 3 Beaugay Stakes in May at Belmont Park for Michael Tabor and Peter Brant. The French-bred 4-year-old was purchased in December 2021 as a racing and broodmare prospect for $3.3 million at the Arqana Breeding stock sale. The 4-year-old had finished seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar after a troubled trip.
Since the Beaugay, Rougir has been fourth or fifth in a trio of Grade 1s. Seeking a turf course that is a little less very firm, Brown has picked the Taylor for the filly’s 5th outing this year. The flashy filly will race with Lasix for the first time in the Taylor. Kazushi Kimura rides.
Brown and Brant also have LEMISTA (Ire) in the field. The Raven’s Pass mare, who will have Luis Contreras on board, won the Grade 3 Matchmaker at Monmouth in July.
Front running ADVENTURING, owned by Godolphin and trained by Brad Cox is a four-time stakes winner who just won the Grade 3 Ladies Marathon at Kentucky Downs at 1 5/16 miles.
Well-travelled FEV ROVER (IRE) will make her third straight start at the Toronto oval. Trained by Mark Casse, the 4-year-old daughter of Gutaifan (IRE)-Laurelita (IRE) heads into Saturday’s engagement off a gutsy nose win in the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes on August 21.
One race earlier, the bay, owned by Tracy Farmer, was second to Wakanaka (IRE) in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly.
Stakes winner HENRIETTA TOPHAM, owned and bred by Cambus Kenneth Farm in Kentucky and trained by Geoff Mulcahy, is a Leon Drop Kid 4-year-old who was recently close fourth in the Ladies Turf at Kentucky Downs.
Irish-bred FLIRTING BRIDGE, third by three-quarters of a length in the Grade 2 Canadian behind Fev Rover, completes the field.
The E.P. Taylor is the final event in Woodbine’s lucrative Ladies of the Lawn Series.
Fev Rover (IRE), 17 points, Wakanaka (IRE), 10 points, Crystal Cliffs (FR), 7, round out the top three in this year’s standings.
The Grade 2 $250,000 Nearctic has attracted nine hopefuls, including multiple graded stakes winner Bound for Nowhere.
Nine starters, including Mark Casse trio Frosted Over, Like the King, and Who’s the Star, will contest the Grade 3 $150,000 Durham Cup.
As part of Woodbine’s Aftercare Day, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and LongRun Retirement Foundation will both have representatives onsite Saturday for an afternoon that includes Woodbine presenting $5,000 cheques to each charity in a winner’s circle ceremony.
First post on Saturday is 1:20 p.m. Racing fans can watch and wager on the action through HPIbet.com and the Dark Horse Bets app.
$750,000 E.P. TAYLOR STAKES (Race 9)
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Munnyfor Ro – Justin Stein – Kevin Attard
2 – Adventuring – Antonio Gallardo – Brad Cox
3 – Moira – Rafael Hernandez – Kevin Attard
4 – Rougir (FR) – Kazushi Kimura – Chad Brown
5 – Henrietta Topham – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Geoff Mulcahy
6 – Flirting Bridge (IRE) – David Moran – Brendan Walsh
7 – Lemista (IRE) – Luis Contreras – Chad Brown
8 – Mylady (GER) – Andrasch Starke – Markus Klug
9 – Fev Rover (IRE) – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
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