Moira has big chance to repeat in Canadian, if she goes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The 2022 Canadian Horse of the Year Moira tested her mettle in Grade 1 company at Saratoga in her seasonal debut and came away with a solid second-place finish. She was cross-entered in Sunday’s Grade 2 Beverly D. at Colonial, where there are enticements of a $500,000 purse and a Win and You’re In berth to the Breeders’ Cup, and here Saturday in the $200,000 Canadian, a Grade 2 turf stakes over 1 1/8 miles that she won last year.

Trained by Kevin Attard, Moira ended her 2023 campaign by running third behind Europeans Inspiral and Warm Heart in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar, a Grade 1 that she’s being pointed toward again this year.

Moira had not started for eight months heading into the Grade 1 Diana on July 13. She was respected in the betting at 6-1 and fired her best shot while closing off slow fractions to finish three-quarters of a length behind the gate-to-wire winner Whitebeam.

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“I thought it was a great race,” Attard said. “She was hampered by the pace. [Whitebeam] got to the front end and walked the dog out there. It was hard to close. She closed best of the rest. My biggest concern was coming off [layoff], but I thought we had her ready. With a more honest pace, it might have been a different outcome.”

Mission of Joy and Libban also were cross-entered in both stakes. Trainer Graham Motion entered Mission of Joy and Five Towns in the Canadian with Frankie Dettori named on both.

Mission of Joy, who Motion was leaning toward running at Colonial, was beaten three lengths when sixth in the Diana and was previously a close third in the Grade 1 Just a Game at Saratoga. Listed stakes winner Five Towns, more likely for the Canadian, has had a break since ending up second to Fluffy Socks on soft ground in the Grade 3 Gallorette at Pimlico on May 18.

Libban was a 5 1/2-length winner of her last race in a stakes at Lone Star for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

The other shippers in the 11-horse lineup are Star Fortress and Forever After All.

Grade 3 winner Star Fortress ships in from Keeneland off an 11th-place finish in the Grade 1 New York at Saratoga. Her trainer, Cherie DeVaux, won the Grade 1 Natalma with She Feels Pretty here last year.

Forever After All is coming off a runner-up finish over good ground in the 1 1/8-mile Anchorage Stakes at Churchill for trainer Brendan Walsh.

Attard also entered the versatile Fashionably Fab and Full Count Felicia.

Fashionably Fab saw her five-race win streak in stakes snapped last out when a close third in the Grade 3 Trillium. She won her lone turf outing in the restricted Eternal Search last fall.

“She’s handled every surface we’ve thrown at her,” Attard said. “She’s just in good form right now, the best of her life. Going a mile and an eighth shouldn’t be a problem for her.”

Full Count Felicia was a front-running fourth when making her first start for Attard here June 29 in the Grade 2 Nassau, a race she may have needed.

“She made a strong middle move and came up a little flat off the layoff,” Attard said. “I love the way she’s trained heading into this race. I’m expecting a big performance from her.”

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