Moira (horse)

Moira in the post parade for the Queen's Plate

Moira made her three-year-old debut on June 11, 2022, in the Fury Stakes at Woodbine. She raced in mid-pack for the first half-mile, then moved four-wide as the field turned into the stretch. She reached the lead in mid-stretch then held off a late run by Pioneer's Edge to win by a head.[8]

In the Woodbine Oaks on July 24, Moira went off as the even-money favourite in a field of ten. She was nervous in the paddock before the race and stepped on one her hind hooves, knocking off one shoe and bending the other. The paddock blacksmith tried to fix the problem but Attard ultimately decided to run her without either hind shoe. Moira settled in mid-pack for the first half-mile then made her move on the far turn while racing three-wide. She quickly took the lead near the top of the stretch and continued to draw away to win by 10+3⁄4 lengths. "We just sat there and saved as much ground as we could," said jockey Rafael Hernandez. "I knew horses were going to be stopping in front of me, so I just tried to get her away from them. By the three-eighths [pole], I was already where I wanted to be."[9][10] Her time of 1:49.78 for nine furlongs was 0.84 faster than the colts ran the Plate Trial later on the same day at Woodbine.[11]

Moira made her first start against male horses on August 21 in the Queen's Plate, the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. She faced a competitive field, headed by Rondure (Marine Stakes) and Sir for Sure (Plate Trial).[11] The betting favourite for much of the day, Moira ultimately went off at odds of 9–5, the second choice in the betting to Rondure, who received late support. All other horses in the field went off at double-digit odds. Attard kept the filly in the saddling enclosure before the race, trying to keep her from getting over-excited. "I could see she was getting a little edgy just because so many people were around," said Attard. "She knew today was a different day."[12]

Moira takes the lead in the Queen's Plate

Moira settled near the back of the pack as the field moved down the stretch for the first time. She continued to race well back along the rail until the final turn when she was switched to the outside. Near the head of the stretch, she moved alongside the leaders and quickly drew away. She won easily by seven lengths, with Hernandez standing in the irons for the final strides. She set a track record for Woodbine's Tapeta surface of 2:01.48 for 1+1⁄4 miles, while running the fastest Queen's Plate in its 163-year history.[4][5][12][13]

Moira is the 38th filly to win the Queen's Plate[5] and the eighth to win both the Woodbine Oaks and Queen's Plate. It was the first Queen's Plate win for owner Lanni and trainer Attard. "I've known [Attard] for 20 years, and this has been a dream – a dream of his, mine – being two Canadian boys to win this race," said Lanni. "This is unbelievable. What a filly."[5]

Moira made her next start on October 8 in the Grade I E. P. Taylor Stakes, running over turf for the first time while facing older fillies and mares. Going off as the 6–5 favourite, she raced in the middle of a tightly bunched field. In the stretch, she lacked racing room so Hernandez moved her sharply to the inside, cutting off another horse, Lemista, in the process. Although Moira was tight against the rail, she began to inch her way to the lead, only to be beaten at the wire by Rougir, who made a late run on the outside. Moira was subsequently disqualified to eighth place for interference with Lemista.[14]

Moira's final start of the year was the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf on November 5, where she was ridden by Frankie Dettori.[15] Breaking from the outside post, she was well back early but closed steadily in the stretch to finish fifth.[16]