Moira nominated to three Group 1 races in Australia

Moira, the champion turf female of 2024, has been nominated to three Group 1 races in Australia in early April.

Moira won the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar last November for trainer Kevin Attard. Two days later, Moira was listed as sold for $4.3 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in Kentucky.

Sent to Australia following the sale, Moira is owned by Yu Long Investments and based with Chris Waller, annually one of Australia’s leading trainers.

Moira is nominated to the $2.52 million Doncaster Mile against males at Royal Randwick Racecourse on April 5, as well as two top-level races at Randwick on April 12 – the $630,400 Queen of the Turf Stakes at a mile against fillies and mares, and the $3.15 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes against males at 1 1/4 miles.

The Doncaster Mile is a handicap with a maximum field of 20. Moira has been assigned 119 pounds, while Ceolwulf is the topweight at 125.6 pounds.

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Ceolwulf, a two-time Group 1 winner last October, was 7-1 in early betting on Wednesday for the Doncaster Mile behind co-favorites Gringotts and Linebacker at 5-1. Moira was 10-1.

Linebacker won the Group 1 Randwick Guineas for Southern Hemisphere 3-year-olds at a mile on March 8. Gringotts won the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes at 7 1/2 furlongs at Rosehill Gardens last Saturday, a race in which Ceolwulf was third.

The Queen of the Turf Stakes and Queen Elizabeth Stakes are weight-for-age races.

Moira, a 6-year-old Ontario-bred by Ghostzapper, has won 7 of 17 starts and earned $2,996,017. Aside from the BC Filly and Mare Turf, Moira won the Grade 2 Beverly D Stakes at Colonial Downs last August.

Waller is the new trainer of the multiple American Grade 1 winner Anisette, formerly with Leonard Powell in California. Anisette, purchased for $1.8 million at Keeneland last November and now owned by Yu Long, is also nominated for the Doncaster Mile, Queen of the Turf Stakes, and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Anisette has been assigned 119 pounds for the Doncaster Mile. A 5-year-old British-bred mare by Awtaad, Anisette has won 7 of 13 starts $956,871. Anisette won the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks and Grade 1 American Oaks at Santa Anita in 2023, and the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes at Santa Anita last May.

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