After a fifth-place finish in 2022, and a closing third-place finish in 2023, the third time was the charm for Moira , as she finally clinched a win in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T) and earned the title of 2024 Eclipse champion turf female.
Moira was bred in Ontario by Adena Springs, and sold as a yearling at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $150,000 to X-Men Racing, who campaigned her in partnership with Madaket Stables and SF Racing.
Following her third-place finish in 2023, Moira was entered in Fasig-Tipton’s The November Sale, where she was bought back by co-owner Donato Lanni for $3 million, believing the mare still had a grade 1 win in her.
In 2024, Moira returned later in the season, finishing a gusty second in the Diana Stakes (G1T) July 13 at Saratoga Race Course following an eight-month layoff. She quickly returned to her winnings ways in the Beverly D. Stakes (G2T) Aug. 11 at Colonial Downs, defeating 2023 Canadian Horse of the Year Fev Rover .
In her last race before the Breeders’ Cup, Moira finished second while failing to run down her loose-on-the-lead stablemate Full Count Felicia in the E. P. Taylor Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine.
Sent off as 5-1 in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, the daughter of Ghostzapper took advantage of the mild pace and settled midpack before going three-wide to make her move at the three-sixteenths pole under jockey Flavien Prat to earn her first grade 1 win.
“Everything came together at the right time,” said Tom Ryan of SF Racing. “Kevin peaked her at the right time. Donato wanted to keep this filly in training, bought her. … I couldn’t be more proud to be part of this ownership team.”
“She’s just a great horse. She showed brilliance from the get-go,” said trainer Kevin Attard. “Her win in the (2022) Queen’s Plate was so dominating against males, set a track record. Ironically enough, after that race she was kind of whispered or dubbed the next Dance Smartly.”
Also voted 2022 Canadian Horse of the Year, Moira was very special to Attard and his team, namely Peter Lopez, her groom, and Korina McLean, Moira’s longtime exercise rider who took the mare to the ring at Fasig-Tipton’s 2024 The November Sale, where she sold for $4.3 million to Bayles, an Australian entity.
“I don’t even think as a kid I ever dreamt about winning a Breeders’ Cup race,” said Attard. “Growing up in Canada, being based in Canada, my dream was to win the Queen’s Plate. Moira did that for me.
“She’s a very special horse, it was the highest of highs, a lot of firsts for me in my career.”
Moira finished the year with a 2-2-0 record in four starts with earnings of $1,582,018.
