Moira tunes up for E.P. Taylor with romp in Canadian Stakes
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Reigning Canadian Horse of the Year Moira got back on the beam in style on Saturday at Woodbine in the Grade 2 Canadian, crushing an excellent field under a jubilant Rafael Hernandez.
Moira rallied four-wide on the turn to mow down the leaders entering the stretch, and then drew off to win the about nine-furlong event by 6 1/2 lengths, in a time of 1:46.04 over the good turf.
Skims edged out Atomic Blonde for second while the favored Fev Rover checked in fourth. Ready Lady beat out the weary pacesetter Miss Dracarys for fifth in the six-horse field of fillies and mares.
Moira had run three solid races in as many starts this year without finding the mark, and her victory silenced the skeptics who thought she was past the peak form she showed when romping in the 2022 Queen’s Plate under Hernandez.
“Guess who’s back? Moira,” Hernandez said. “When she started dancing in the post parade, I got goose bumps and said that’s it. They’re not going to beat her today. She’s 100 percent. She showed up. She was much the best.”
The Canadian is a prep for the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor here Oct. 8, and trainer Kevin Attard said Moira is headed for that $750,000 event. She was disqualified from second to eighth in last year’s Taylor for causing interference.
“It was so satisfying to see her put it all together,” Attard said.
Moira ($7.90) banked $144,000 of the $224,000 purse in her first graded stakes score for the partnership of X-Men Racing, Madaket Stables, and SF Racing. The daughter of Ghostzapper has won five of 11 starts for earnings of exactly $1.5 million Canadian.
*** Palazzi ($10.50) benefited from a shrewd ride from Sahin Civaci to take Saturday’s Grade 3 Singspiel for owner Gary Barber and trainer Mark Casse.
Palazzi trailed the seven-horse field down the backstretch in the 1 1/4-mile turf tilt and then followed the four-wide favorite, Rockemperor, through the far turn in the three-path.
Rockemperor made the lead around the three-sixteenths pole before Palazzi closed inside of him to prevail by a half-length, in a time of 2:02.26.
Malibu Moon finished another 5 3/4 lengths back in third and was followed by Dun Drum, British Royalty, Town Cruise and Collective Force.
Palazzi, a 5-year-old gelding by Pioneerof the Nile, earned $90,000 of the $155,400 purse while extending his winning streak to three races.
The Singspiel is a prep for the Grade 1 Canadian International, which is on the same day as the E.P. Taylor.
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