Moira Update, Civaci Resting, Woodbine Tapeta

Canada’s Queen of racing, MOIRA, is getting ready for the final leg of her trip to her new home country of Australia and an expected start in Sydney in mid to late March.

The 2024 Eclipse Award winner for Champion Turf Female and 2022 Horse of the Year in Canada was sold for $4.3 million at The November Sale following her big win in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) at Del Mar last November. Owned by X-Men Racing, Madaket Stables and SF Bloodstock at the time, Moira was trained throughout her career by Kevin Attard.

Yulong Investments of Chinese billionaire Yuesheng Zhang purchased Moira, who is currently with trainer James Ferguson at his Machell Place Training Centre in Newmarket, England.

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“Moira is being prepared for export to Australia in the next week or so, where she will be transferred to Chris Waller with the hope to start in Sydney mid to late March,” said Vin Cox, manager for Yulong.

With the breeding season in Australia not starting until September, Moira could make a few starts in that country.

Among the races in March she could be pointed to are the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes at 2000 metres at Rosehill Garden on March 22, a $1 million turf event or the Group 3 Epona Stakes on the same day. There are a number of big races throughout the autumn season in Australia that Moira could contest. Yulong also owns the brilliant champion mare Via Sistina, who races from one to 1 1/4 miles.

Moira will receive a Special Sovereign Award from the Jockey Club of Canada at the awards ceremony on April 24 in Woodbridge.

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Woodbine’s champion jockey SAHIN CIVACI, who had been riding in his first meeting at Aqueduct in New York, will rest until the beginning of the 2025 Woodbine season, tentatively scheduled for April 26. Already a winner of 15 races this year and purses of almost $900,000, Civaci injured his back on a recent race day and is seeing a doctor about the issue. He is scheduled to return home to Toronto soon.

The Woodbine backstretch is scheduled to open for set-up on Monday, Feb. 24, with ship-ins beginning on Feb. 25. Given the amount of snow that has fallen in southern Ontario in recent weeks, how many people and horses will be moving in right away is a question.

The Tapeta main track, which came under scrutiny last November when a number of horses suffered fatal injuries on the surface, is expected to open around March 23. Experienced trackman Juan Meza, formerly of Golden Gate Fields in northern California, was present last fall to study the Tapeta and will return for a month around the time the track is opened.

Tapeta Footings representatives Joan Wakefield and Miguel Piedra are expected at Woodbine on April 14 to oversee a renovation of the Tapeta at the five and 5 1/2 furlong markers, at which time the track will be closed for training.

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SEA TO AIR, who raced in 2024 for Robyn and Jeff Voyce, will be honoured as Thoroughbred of the Year at the Quarter Racing Owners of Ontario and Ajax Downs Awards ceremony on March 8 in Ajax, ON.

A six-year-old gelding by Air Force One last year, Sea to Air won two editions of the Battle of the Breeds at Ajax Downs defeating Quarter Horses in races at 870 and 770 yards. Sea to Air was also third in his only other Ajax Downs outing to the Quarter Horse mare Jess a Deal.

Sea to Air was the only horse in 2024 to win races at all three Ontario tracks. The versatile gelding won at Woodbine in May, Fort Erie in August and then at Ajax Downs in the fall. Another Battle of the Breeds winner at Ajax in 2024, Shakoo Makoo, is the only other horse who has won at all three tracks.

Sea to Air is an Ontario-bred foaled at Minshall Farms in Hillsburgh.