Moira makes ambitious turf debut in E.P. Taylor Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The popular Moira makes her much-anticipated first start since her dominating Queen’s Plate score in the Grade 1, $750,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes over 1 1/4 miles on Saturday at Woodbine.

The once-beaten Moira dusted the boys by seven lengths in the $1 million Plate going 1 1/4 miles on the Tapeta here Aug. 21. The daughter of Ghostzapper has since worked brilliantly, including a solo five-eighths in 1:01.20 on the main turf here last Saturday under jockey Rafael Hernandez.

Moira makes her first start on turf in the E.P. Taylor. Trainer Kevin Attard is optimistic that Moira will excel on the grass, over which her first two dams and a half-brother were all stakes winners.

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“We’ve always thought she was going to be a turf horse at some point,” Attard said. “Obviously, her pedigree suggests that she shouldn’t mind it. Her turf work was good. [Hernandez] thought she got over it well. He said she floated across there. I was happy with the way she handled herself out there.”

Moira remains on Lasix in the Taylor. She was invited to next Saturday’s Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland, but would have to run without Lasix there.

“She’s a bit of a quirky filly, so there’s the unknown of shipping and how she would handle that,” Attard said. “This race is in our own backyard, and she’s gone over that course. It makes sense. There’s no easy Grade 1s, and she’s facing older horses. There are a few extra challenges, but she’s doing well.”

Moira won the Woodbine Oaks, and Attard also is sending out 2021 Oaks winner Munnyfor Ro in the Taylor. The daughter of Munnings was third two back in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly and is coming off a dull sixth in the Grade 2 Canadian.

“The turf had a little more give that day,” Attard said. “She’s never been fond of softer turf. The forecast looks good for this weekend, which played into the decision of running her. She’s trained well and looks good.”

Ontario-breds Moira and Munnyfor Ro race for an extra $150,000 in bonus money in the Taylor, which Attard won in 2019 with Starship Jubilee.

Among those the Attard duo will face is Fev Rover, who came to North America this year after being competitive in Group 1 and 2 company in England and France in 2020-21. She ran second in the 1 1/16-mile Dance Smartly here in her first start on this side of the pond in July. Most recently, she was a gutsy winner of the about nine-furlong Canadian, and trainer Mark Casse believes 1 1/4 miles is within her range.

“If she relaxes, she should be fine,” Casse said.

Mylady is the lone European invader in the nine-horse field. The talented 3-year-old is going on Lasix.

Mylady finished a close third in the Group 1 German Oaks in August. She was previously 10th of 20 in the Group 1 German Derby, beaten just 3 1/4 lengths by Sammarco.

“The only time when she was disappointing was in the 2000 German Guineas against the colts, and that was because she had an infection,” owner Holger Faust said.

Though she was beaten only three-quarters of a length in the German Oaks, Faust thought the 1 3/8-mile distance might have been too far for her.

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“She was there, but in the last furlong she struggled and was just following the first two horses,” Faust said. “So, after that we had the impression that maybe the 10 furlongs suits her best, because her three wins have all been in that range. Now, we feel we have found the perfect distance for her.”

Trainer Chad Brown entered Rougir and Lemista, both of whom are adding Lasix.

The Brad Cox-trained Adventuring is back on Lasix after going without it when wiring the field in her last race, the Grade 3 Ladies Marathon on Sept. 13 at Kentucky Downs.

The Taylor is the anchor leg of Woodbine’s Ladies of the Lawn, a points-based bonus series that also included the Dance Smartly and Canadian.

Fev Rover leads the series with 17 points. Wakanaka (10) and Crystal Cliffs (7) round out the top three in the standings.

The owner of the horse who has accumulated the most points receives a $50,000 bonus. The owners whose horses have the second and third most points will receive bonuses of $15,000 and $10,000, respectively.

The Taylor heads an 11-race card that also features the Grade 2 Nearctic and Grade 3 Durham Cup, along with the Woodbine Cares and Ontario Racing stakes.

Post time is 1:20 p.m. Eastern, and the Taylor is scheduled for 5:39 p.m.

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