The Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes on Saturday, October 8 got a lot more exciting when it was announced Tuesday that Queen’s Plate winner MOIRA will contest the 1 1/4 mile turf race worth $750,000. Saturday is also Woodbine Aftercare Day, which will be promoting the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance throughout the afternoon.

Owners X-Men Racing, Madaket Stable and SF Bloodstock, along with trainer Kevin Attard, had been trying to decide on their star filly’s next race after her breathtaking win in the Plate on Aug. 21, which followed her easy win in the Woodbine Oaks.

A 3-year-old by Ghostzapper, Moira has never tried grass or older horses but the team is eyeing a Grade 1 outing for the strapping gal. The Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Keeneland against 3-year-olds on the turf was also considered but since the Taylor is held at her home track, the team decided the Taylor would be a good spot to test Moira.

There figures to be several US fillies and mares entered and earlier this week, German Group winner MYLADY (Ger) arrived at Woodbine for the 67th  Taylor. The Taylor has a rich history in Canadian horse racing (it was previously known as the Nettie Stakes) and luckily the race is back for 2022 even if its former counterpart, the Canadian International, is on hiatus.

Mylady, owned and bred by Gestut Karlshof ( a farm owned by Michaela Faust) and trained by Markus Klug, won the first 3 races of her career including two outings as a 2-year-old. The grey daughter of The Grey Gatsby – (Ire) Minoris by Dabirsim (Fr) began 2022 with a win over the boys in the Group 3 Grosser Jubilaum Dr. Busch Memorial at 1 1/16 miles on turf. She was eighth in the Group 2 German Two Thousand Guineas German Derby before finishing a close second in the German One Thousand Guineas against fillies.

The 3-year-old was then 10th, beaten just over 3 lengths, in the Group 1 German Derby behind top colt Sammarco, who came back to win another Group 1 and then finish third in the Preis Von Baden (G1).

In her most recent race at 1 3/8 miles on turf, the German Oaks, Mylady was third, beaten three-quarters of a length to Toskana Belle, who then came to New York to be a close second in the Grade 3 Jockey Club Invitational Oaks at Aqueduct.

The draw for posts for the Taylor is Wednesday, October 5.

Below is Mylady’s most recent start in the German Oaks:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: E.P. Taylor Stakes, Moira, Mylady (Ger) Woodbine 2022,

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