Queen's Plate winner Moira likely to skip Prince of Wales Stakes
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Kevin Attard said the popular Queen’s Plate winner Moira is unlikely to contest the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown on Sept. 13, the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes on the dirt at Fort Erie.
Moira became the 38th filly to win the Queen’s Plate on Sunday, doing so impressively after an eye-catching wide move on the far turn. She won going away by seven lengths while earning a 97 Beyer Speed Figure in the 1 1/4-mile event on the synthetic Tapeta surface at Woodbine.
Attard said Moira’s connections want a Grade 1 victory for the daughter of Ghostzapper. The Grade 1 Cotillion on the dirt on Sept. 24 at Parx Racing is a possibility, along the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on the turf Oct. 15 at Keeneland.
“For her long-term value, [winning a Grade 1] is obviously the goal,” Attard said. “That will significantly impact her value as a broodmare.”
Attard said Moira exited the Queen’s Plate in good shape.
“She’s eating well and she’s happy,” Attard said. “The plan is for her to go back to the track [Thursday]. She’ll go out for a jog to stretch her legs a bit, and we’ll go from there.”
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Moira is owned X-Men Racing, Madaket Stables, and SF Racing, a partnership managed by Donato Lanni.
Trainer Mark Casse said Hall of Dreams and Sir for Sure, the second- and third-place finishers in the $1 million Queen’s Plate, are both possible for the 1 3/16-mile Prince of Wales.
“We’re looking at the Prince of Wales,” Casse said. “We’re going to train them on the dirt and see how things go. Both have great minds. They don’t care about anything, which is nice.”
Hall of Dreams got a career-best 86 Beyer in the Plate. Plate Trial winner Sir for Sure finished another two lengths back and earned an 82 Beyer.
“Hall of Dreams ran really well,” Casse said. “I thought Sir for Sure got a good trip. They both ran good. They just ran into a monster.”