Attard says next leg of Canadian Triple Crown 'unlikely' for Moira

Trainer Kevin Attard and the other connections of Moira have yet to make a decision about the next start for the Queen's Plate winner, but they're getting there.

Attard told Horse Racing Nation Wednesday that the Prince of Wales, the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown on dirt, is "unlikely," confirming an earlier report by Daily Racing Form.

Among the possibilities are the Sept. 24 Cotillion (G1) at Parx and the Oct. 15 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge (G1) at Keeneland. Either race would provide Moira with a chance at a first Grade 1 win. 

"Parx has reached out," Attard said. "Donato (Lanni, who works with the ownership team) has mentioned she's got an invite to the to the Queen Elizabeth. So those are just two things that have been kind of talked about briefly. So honestly, that is basically the gist of it right now."

Both the Cotillion on dirt and Queen Elizabeth II on turf would be a change of surface for Moira, whose five starts (with four wins) all have been on Woodbine's synthetic track. 

Attard said he would be comfortable with a dirt track.

"She trains on the dirt – we have a dirt training track here at Woodbine. And I do a lot of training with her on the dirt. She hasn't really done much fast breezes over it. But I feel very confident and comfortable training over it on a regular basis. She's by Ghostzapper, so why not? Her mare (Devine Aida) won in the slop when she was running. So at the end of the day, she does have a bit of a dirt pedigree."

And, of course, pursuing a Grade 1 is a good business move.

"It would add tremendous value to her pedigree and her value as a broodmare down the road," Attard said. "So it's something that I think every horse owner looks forward to, I don't think we're out of the norm here by saying it. I mean, the idea is to get a Grade 1 win. We obviously think very highly of her, and I think she's going to deserve a chance to run in that kind of company."