Philly Moira was installed as an early 5-2 favorite at the million dollar Queen's Plate

She was definitely in Woodbine Oaks class, but Kevin Attard expects some more mare Moira on Sunday.

Moira cemented herself as the 5-2 favorite at her $1 million Queens plate in the 163rd on Wednesday. A big reason for that is that she won the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks at Woodbine Racecourse last month by her 10 3/4 lengths.

Moira's winning time of 1:49.78 was better than the time posted by Sir for Sure (1:50.62) when she won her trial for $150,400 plates on the same day . Considering both races were on Woodbine's Tapeta her surface she was 1 1/8 miles, which is impressive. This will be on the same ground as the 1 1/4 mile plate at Woodbine Racecourse on Sunday.

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Moira Despite an impressive Oaks victory, he is running without his back shoes after a pre-race incident in the paddock. But Attard feels she has to do better than Moira to capture her event as the OLG Canadian triple her crown opening.

"I think she needs to step up again," Attard said Wednesday in the draw for the race at Woodbine told later. "I'm not saying she can't.

"She's been training as hard as she can. Looks like she can... Everything seems to be heading in the right direction."

Moira slips out of post 8 on the 11-horse track. She clinched her No. 6 spot just outside her No. 2 pick Ron Dua, with a 3-1 record, and Duke of Love, a No. 3 pick with a 5-1 record.

"Also, I think you get a good look at what other people are doing. It's been going pretty well until the first turn, so [jockey Rafael Hernandez] We should be able to see how the race unfolds and put her where we want.”

Post Position, Jockey and Early Odds fields include: 2) Chamatour, Luis Contreras, 30-1; 3) Ironstone, Kazushi Kimura, 12-1; 4) Minkster, David Moran, 10-1; 5) Duke of Love, Justin Stein, 5-1; 6) Rondulet, Flavian Prat, 3-1; 7) Daniil Dancin, Sean Bridgemohan, 30-1; 8) Moira, Hernandez, 5-2; 9) Huntmaster, Emma Jayne Wilson, 30-1; 10) Sure, Declan Carroll, 8-1; 11) Corzin Mayhem, Antonio Gallardo, 6-1.

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This means Attard will try to double the Oaks Plate for the second year in a row. After winning the '21 Oaks, Manny Four his low took his fourth place at the plate and Attard was his one of his four horses to race.

H C Holiday ahead of Munnyfor Ro where he finished third, Harlan Estate his seventh and Haddassah his eighth.

His four Oaks champions, Holly Helena (2017), Lexie Lu (2014), Inglourious (2011) and Dance Slew Sedoon (2001) won the plate. In 2018 Oaks runner-up Wonder Gadot won the opening his leg of the OLC Canadian Triple his crown.

Moira won twice in his 22-year start and was in the winner's circle three of four times in his career. The exception was his second-place finish in the $156,400 Grade 3 Mazarin Stakes at Woodbine on 28 November 2021.

Mrs. Barbara, owned by her CEO of Woodbine, Jim Lawson, won the event en route to being named champion two-year-old mare of Canada. But Attard said he couldn't be happier with Moira's condition heading for the plate. Said. "She has put on weight. The court has improved (looks better). At this point, I couldn't ask her to race more."

According to Attard, weight gain is a very good sign, as Moira traditionally struggles to maintain her weight.

," he said. "She's big and long, so it's not your typical stout horse. I'm very happy where she is."

Mark Casse, Canadian Champion Trainer for the past 11 years. has two horses on the field in pursuit of a third plate title. Both of his previous wins were four years apart, as well as fillies (Lexi Lu and Wonder Gadot), with his last win coming in 2018. Other former jockey Robert Landry. He won the '04 plate aboard Chiefswood's Nigon. Trainer Todd Pletcher won the '98 Queen's Plate at Archer's Bay, which was owned by the late Eugene Melnick.

Duke of Love is also being trained by his three-time plate champion, Josie Carroll. And Dan Vella, who is in charge of conditioning The Minkster, is also his two-time race winner and is now in his 50th year of racing.

Attard's uncle, Sid, is his Shamateur trainer. Ironstone conditioner William Armata is the son of Vito Armata, who won the 2002 plate at TJ's Lucky Moon at a staggering odds of 82-1.

Moira heads into Sunday's race as the winning horse, but Kevin Attard has learned from his experience that anything can happen in horse racing.

"I was here on this particular day and had the idea that there was a good chance," he said.

``Look at some of the trainers in Woodbine history that this race missed. It shows how hard it is to run a mile and a quarter under the meter.It's nice to take your favorites out there, but it's not like they're handing us the trophy right now. Never.”

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