Saratoga Exacta Picks & Plays | Diana Stakes 2024

Dr. Miranda gives her Diana Stakes (G1) exacta picks & plays from the 2024 running at Saratoga Race Course.

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Trainer Kevin Attard will send out Moira, Canada’s 2022 Horse of the Year, in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Diana, a nine-furlong inner turf test for older fillies and mares, at Saratoga Race Course.

The 5-year-old Ghostzapper mare is named after the character Moira Rose, played by Catherine O’Hara, from the television series Schitt’s Creek. She will be making her first start since a troubled third when checked hard into the stretch for the first time under Flavien Prat in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf on November 4 at Santa Anita Park.

“She overcame that stumbling incident shortly after crossing the dirt there and I thought Prat put her in a good spot after that,” Attard said. “At the top of the stretch, she was making a bid for the lead and got me really excited – I just couldn’t have been happier with her performance.”

Attard was buoyed by the strong effort that saw Moira land a neck and a length back of the victorious Champion Turf Female Inspiral, who prevailed over Warm Heart in a race in which Diana favorite Didia – last out winner of the Grade 1 New York presented by Rivers Casino here – finished 10th.

“She ran a great race against some very tough company,” Attard said. “Didia came out of there and you can see what she’s done this year, and she will probably be the favorite, so it just goes to show how tough of a field that was.”

Moira has trained forwardly into her seasonal debut over Tapeta at her Woodbine Racetrack base, including a bullet five-eighths breeze in 59.80 seconds on June 29.

Attard said the talented Moira, winner of last year’s Grade 2 Canadian at Woodbine and victress of the prestigious Queen’s Plate in 2022 against the boys, is in fine fettle.

“I think this is a bigger, stronger version of her right now. Physically, this is the best she’s looked,” said Attard, who won the Grade 2 Ballston Spa here in 2020 with Canada’s 2019 Horse of the Year Starship Jubilee. “She’s matured from 4-to-5 and she’s worked very well heading into this race. Going nine furlongs against Grade 1 company coming off of a seven-month layoff is not going to be easy, but she’s a good horse and I think she deserves a chance.”

The Ontario-bred Moira, owned by Lanni Bloodstock, Madaket Stables and SF Racing, will exit the inside post under Tyler Gaffalione in a strong 10-horse field that features five entrants from the barn of trainer Chad Brown, who was won the Diana a record eight times.

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