Eclipse champ Moira is retired, heads to breeding shed
Eclipse Award winner Moira has been retired days before what was expected to be her next race.
The 6-year-old Canada-bred mare, a daughter of Ghostzapper out of the Unbridled Song mare Devine Aida, had been under consideration for Friday's Caulfield Cup (G1) at Caulfield Racecourse in Australia prior to the announcement of her retirement.
"We simply feel she is not racing at her absolute best right now and with her extraordinary resume she will be a real asset to the Australian breeding industry," trainer Chris Waller said in a statement posted on X.com.
Bred by Adena Springs in Ontario, Moira was transferred to Australia from North America after her purchase by Yu Long Investments at auction in November for $4.3 million. She was previously owned by Madaket Stables, SF Racing and X-Men Racing and trained by Kevin Attard.
A multiple graded-stakes winner in the U.S. and Canada, including the 2024 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, Moira will join Yulong's broodmare band in Australia, Waller said.
The Breeders' Cup win earned Moira an Eclipse Award as champion turf female. She also captured the Beverly D. Stakes (G2) at Colonial Downs earlier in the year.
She raced five times without winning in Australia following her sale, her best effort being a second-place finish in September at Moonee Valley Racecourse.
She retires with a record of 22: 7-7-2 and earnings of more than $3 million U.S.