Canada well-represented in Beverly D. with Moira, Fev Rover

Last August, the Woodbine-based mare Fev Rover shipped into Colonial Downs following a strong showing in the Diana Stakes at Saratoga and won the Beverly D. She’s back for a repeat bid Sunday, but a younger and presently more potent Canadian has the Beverly D. in her sight.

Moira, coming off a strong second in the Diana, her first start at age 5, is the likely favorite and most likely winner of the Beverly D., a race her connections hope provides a bridge to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar. Moira, running her best race among 13 to that point, finished third behind two salty Europeans, Inspiral and Warm Heart, in the 2023 Filly and Mare Turf.

“Her race there last year cemented she was of that quality,” said Kevin Attard, who trains Moira for Lanni Bloodstock, Madaket Stables, and SF Racing.

Win the Beverly D., which is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, and your horse gets automatic fees-paid entry into the BC Filly and Mare Turf plus travel expenses to Del Mar.

“The Win and You’re In is part of the reason we entered,” Attard said.

Moira also was entered in the Canadian Stakes at Woodbine, but Attard loaded his star mare Friday morning onto a horse van bound for Virginia, where the turf ought to be quick enough to suit the mare.

:: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets.

“She’s a horse that prefers firm ground,” Attard said.

Moira is one of six in the Grade 2, $500,000 Beverly D., contested at 1 3/16 miles. Libban and Mission of Joy also were entered in the Canadian, but both are expected to run at Colonial.

Nadette and Neecie Marie, neither without a chance, round out a compact but select field.

Moira as a 3-year-old won the $1 million Queen’s Plate by seven length but over the next year she lost five consecutive races before a breakout score in the Canadian last August. Racing for the first time since the Breeders’ Cup, Moira turned in the fastest final three furlongs, 33.90 seconds, among 10 in the Diana, which, at 1 1/8 miles, might fall slightly short of her best distance.

“Nine furlongs and a little farther is where she’s at her best,” Attard said.

Six-year-old Fev Rover bounced off her Beverly D. – where she controlled a soft pace – and finished a well-beaten fourth in last year’s Canadian, but rebounded to win the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor over a Woodbine course with give in the ground, which Fev Rover enjoys. Fev Rover ran flat finishing 11th in the BC Filly and Mare Turf and in two starts this year, a sixth in the Diana and a well-beaten second June 29 as the odds-on favorite in the Grade 2 Nassau, she hasn’t approached her best.

Trainer Mark Casse said Fev Rover lost her composure before the Diana; there was no clear excuse for the Nassau.

“Our thoughts are she’s coming into this race better than the last one. We’ve seen her run like that and come back and run a hole in the wind,” Casse said.

Fev Rover and jockey Javier Castellano probably will end up pressing or stalking the pace of rail-drawn Libban, who makes her first start in a graded turf stakes and never has raced beyond 1 1/16 miles. Libban sparked to life two races ago moving from dirt to grass, and in her most recent start easily won the Wasted Tears at Lone Star Park. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said Libban, by Laoban, had showed more in morning training than in her dirt races.

“Seems like turf was what she was looking for,” said Joseph, who believes there’s a good chance Libban leads. “I believe she’ll stay well. She acts like she has lots of stamina.”

Neecie Marie can contend if she runs back to her strong second behind Didia in the 1 3/16-mile New York Stakes, but she finished a floundering 10th in the Diana. Trainer Butch Reid said a lack of pace hurt Neecie Marie, who prefers settling well off the lead before producing a sustained run.

:: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.

“We just have to put a mark through that last one. She had a beautiful breeze the other day at Saratoga. I think she fits,” Reid said.

The slow Diana pace also impacted Mission of Joy, who finished a close third in the Grade 1 Just a Game over one mile before checking in sixth in the Diana, where she turned in the race’s second-fastest final furlong, 11.14.

On Beyer Speed Figures, the Neil Drysdale-trained Nadette is too slow to win, though she dominated inferior foes in a local Beverly D. prep and always finishes with interest.

Moira’s baseline performance at this stage of her career surpasses anything else in the Beverly D. The Colonial turf course is drying. Moira probably is winning.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.