Queen’s Plate champion Moira racing in Saturday’s E.P. Taylor stakes at Woodbine

When thoroughbred trainers get stopped in the grandstand, it’s often because punters want a tip.

But in Kevin Attard’s case, the question the last few weeks has been: “When is Moira going to run again?”

That query was finally answered on Tuesday when it was revealed that Attard’s sensational filly is entered in Saturday’s $750,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes on the turf at Woodbine Racetrack.

After Moira dazzled the Woodbine crowd in winning the $1 million Queen’s Plate on Aug. 21 by a resounding seven lengths in a synthetic track-record time of 2:01.48, Attard and Moira’s ownership group decided not to enter her in the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie. A somewhat controversial decision as Canadian horse racing fans are eager to see another Triple Crown winner – the last horse to accomplish the treble was the Mike Keogh-trained Wando in 2003. Instead, Attard & Co. agreed that Moira would next race in a Grade 1 event – either the E.P. Taylor or the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on Oct. 15 at Keeneland. In the end, the decision was to keep her at home, much to the delight of Moira’s hometown fans.

“There were a lot of factors. The fact that (the E.P. Taylor) is in your own backyard, that’s a big bonus,” Attard told the Toronto Sun. “The stress of shipping a horse is a big thing – and knowing your horse and the kind of personality she has. Moira’s a filly that has some tendencies to get a little nervous, a little high-strung. So putting her in a new environment – not a 100% sure how she’s going to react to that – kind of leaves the door open for a few scenarios that might not go in your favour.

“Anytime you’re going into a Grade 1, whether it’s at home or away, it’s going to be a tough race,” added Attard, when asked about this weekend’s race. “She’s leaving restricted Canadian-bred company to face open company for the first time in her sophomore campaign and she’s going to have to run the race of her life to win. But we’ve given her enough time (to recover from the Plate) I think and she’s trained well in the interim. She’s been good with her weight. She’s doing everything right. We’re happy with where she’s at and how she’s doing. So hopefully things line up for her.”

The Ontario-bred Moira has never raced on turf but Attard said she looked good breezing on Woodbine’s E.P. Taylor turf course last Saturday. A three-year-old filly by Ghostzapper out of graded stakes placed mare Devine Aida (Unbridled’s Song), Moira was pegged as something special even before she won the Queen’s Plate. In her final race prior to the Plate, Moira captured the prestigious Woodbine Oaks by an astounding 10 3/4 lengths. Lifetime, she has four wins and a second-place finish in five starts with earnings of $902,128 for the ownership group of X-Men Racing, Madaket Stables and SF Racing, who purchased Moria for $150,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September yearling sale. She was named after the TV character Moira Rose from the comedy Schitt’s Creek by co-owner Donato Lanni. Moira Rose is played by the wonderful SCTV alumnus Catherine O’Hara.

Attard was the last Woodbine-based trainer to win the E.P. Taylor, capturing the event with the outstanding six-year-old mare Starship Jubilee in 2019. And though Starship Jubilee was certainly a fan favourite at the Etobicoke oval, Attard said Moira is at another level.

“Even though Starship Jubilee was a good horse and she did have her own fan base, this horse is definitely garnering a lot more attention – attention that I didn’t really expect,” Attard said. “Some people have call her ‘The Queen’. She’s been compared to (Canadian Triple Crown winner) Dance Smartly in some quotes that I read. Those are big shoes to fill.”

Attard said he relishes the fact that horse racing fans – and fans who don’t normally follow the sport – have taken Moira to heart – sort of like Mighty Heart after that one-eyed colt, trained by Josie Carroll, won the 2020 Queen’s Plate.

“I appreciate the fact that they’re excited about the horse. And it’s extra special now that she’s running here for them to see her again. And hopefully the story continues,” Attard said, adding that Moira has been “extra sharp” in her work-outs of late.

“I think the cooler weather and the fact that she hasn’t run lately has got her a little bit more spry, a little bit more on her toes,” he said.

Prior to the Queen’s Plate, Attard put a tremendous amount of pressure on himself, telling the media that he will never feel like one of the top trainers at Woodbine until he wins North America’s oldest continuously run race. Now that he’s won the Plate, the Brampton native is certainly not resting on his laurels. He would love to win the E.P. Taylor though he knows the field will be extremely tough as the race draws horses from across North America and Europe.

“There’s more pressure because there’s more expected of Moira,” Attard said. “The Queen’s Plate was a prestigious race you grow up wanting to win. Now we’re dealing with taking on some of the best in the world.”

The draw for the E.P. Taylor will be held on Wednesday.

Attard confirmed on Tuesday that his four-year-old filly Munnyfor Ro will also be entered in the E.P. Taylor. Owned by Raroma Stable, Munnyfor Ro has four lifetime victories in 15 starts, including scores in the 2021 Woodbine Oaks.

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