Moira becomes 5th filly in 12 years to win Queen’s Plate

Toronto

North America’s most prestigious horse races are sometimes known for the storylines that envelop their human connections, but there is no more fitting coda for the 2022 Queen’s Plate than simply saying that Moira dominated.

Yes, jockey Rafael Hernández made the right choice. Yes, trainer Kevin Attard finally hoisted that Queen’s Plate trophy. Yes, Montréal native Donato Lanni and his X-Men racing partnership get to cash the big check.

But none of that comes close to encapsulating just how good Moira was when winning the Queen’s Plate by seven lengths in 2:01.48, a track record on the “new” Tapeta surface at Woodbine – and the fastest Queen’s Plate ever for 1 1/4-mile runnings regardless of surface.

“She’s unbelievable,” Hernández said of the fifth filly to win the Plate in 12 years. “We waited and waited, and then when it was time to run, she just made up so much ground in a second. She gave me everything and kept giving. It’s an unbelievable opportunity to ride this filly. She’s something else.”

The only surprise was the price. Moira, the morning-line favorite, opened at even money before eventually drifting to 9-5. Rondure was the 3-2 favorite and finished sixth, beaten 12 lengths.

Click here for Woodbine entries and results.

Things looked potentially precarious through opening fractions of 23.75 and 47.58 seconds with Moira in mid-pack about five lengths off the pace of long shots The Minkster and Ironstone. Hernández saved ground entering the far turn before swinging wide approaching the quarter pole, and Moira just took off.

“Given the splits, I knew that was a pace we could run at, but they were kind of getting away from her, so I was a little nervous,” Attard said. “Then the next thing I know, she’s gobbling up ground, and I was just worried for who might be behind her. She kept her focus and spurted away.”

Lanni picked Moira out of the 2020 Keeneland September yearling sale, going to $150,000 for the Ghostzapper filly. She debuted 13 months later – in a stakes – winning the Princess Elizabeth by 4 1/4 lengths. She suffered her only defeat when second in the Mazarine Stakes (G3) to close out her 2-year-old season and hasn’t lost since with a record of 3-for-3 as a 3-year-old.

“That sale was during COVID, and we got a little lucky on price, because there weren’t a lot of Canadians there. Maybe Mark Casse, and that’s it,” Lanni said, referring to the 14-time Canada training champion who actually is a native of Indianapolis. Casse’s geldings Hall of Dreams (16-1) and Sir for Sure (17-1) finished second and third, respectively.

As for Moira, Lanni said, “She’s by a legendary stallion, and she’s unassuming when you look at her, but she has a lot of gears. She reminds me of a certain big black mare (Zenyatta) that used to run in California.”

Attard said that the plan for Moira since she returned to his barn as a 3-year-old was to build up to the Queen’s Plate. That meant there was no definitive plan Sunday for her next start. In other words, the trainer would not commit to taking the next step toward the Canada Triple Crown with the Prince of Wales Stakes on Tuesday, Sept. 13, covering 1 3/16 miles of dirt at Fort Erie.

“Hernández said after the race she had plenty left, so that’s encouraging,” Attard said. “But we trained her to peak for the Queen’s Plate, so we’ll just have to regroup and assess from there.

“Obviously I’d love to put my name beside a Triple Crown winner if I could. I want to win a Sovereign Award, too, and these are the types of races you have to win to do so, but (the Prince of Wales) is something I’ll talk to Donato about.”

Lanni’s X-Men Racing is a third of the group involved in Moira. Tom Ryan’s SF Bloodstock and Sol Kumin’s Madakat Stable also went in on the eventual Queen’s Plate winner. Moira was one of 12 horses the partnership acquired in its initial venture.

Coverage of the Queen's Plate at Horse Racing Nation was made possible through a sponsorship by Woodbine.