Grey and Mazarine set for Sunday at Woodbine
At 1h20, on November 28, 2021 • By WOODBINE
A pair of $150,000 rookie stakes, the Grade 3 Grey and Grade 3 Mazarine, highlight Sunday’s 12-race card at Woodbine.
The 1 1/16-mile Mazarine has attracted a field of nine two-year-old fillies, including Moira, a daughter of Ghostzapper who had a stellar debut in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes on October 23 at the Toronto oval.
With jockey Justin Stein at the controls, the Adena Springs-bred miss put in a stunning rally to win going away by 4 ¼-lengths in the 1 1/16-mile tilt. The final time was 1:44.63.
Trained by Kevin Attard for owners X-Men Racing LLC, Madaket Racing LLC and SF Racing LLC, Moira managed to surpass the conditioner’s lofty pre-race expectations.
“She’s a very nice filly,” said Attard, who is enjoying another prosperous campaign at the Toronto oval. “I was very keen even before we ran her. Obviously, to be running in a stake and going two-turns first-time out is a bit of a risky undertaking, but I thought it was a very calculated risk. I was confident in her and it worked out really well. I thought she looked pretty impressive. This race, the Mazarine, is open company and a big step up in class but she’s trained really well in the interim and I’m really excited to see her continue to develop and possibly be a very nice horse.”
High-profile bloodstock agent and owner Donato Lanni was equally impressed by Moira’s curtain-raising performance.
“I was not necessarily expecting that,” admitted Lanni. “I was at the Yearling Sale [in Kentucky] and we stopped looking at the horses and went into the bar there to watch her. I was really nervous because I didn’t know a whole lot about her, but Kevin mentioned that the race was coming up and he didn’t want to run her short. When he told me he wanted to run her in the stake, I was initially thinking, ‘Are you kidding me?’ He told me not to worry. That was it.
“When I was watching the race and saw her make that move, I was stunned for a bit after that. She was really impressive. Kevin is a good friend of mine and I’ve known him for 20-plus years, and he’s a hell of a trainer. Him knowing about Moira ahead of that race is a great example of that.”
Lanni, a Montreal native who moved to Kentucky 25 years ago, will be at Woodbine along with other owners of the bay filly to watch her run in the Mazarine.
