Those who follow me on Twitter know that Moira has my heart, but it will be tough for her to have my wagering dollars at odds on in the Grade 2 Beverly D. Stakes on Sunday at Colonial Downs.
For sure the Canadian Horse of the Year is the horse to beat in the 1 3/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares, but I expect she will be odds-on against five rivals, which is a big underlay against my fair odds of even money.
If she matches her career best then she is a very likely winner, and if she runs a career best here then she is borderline invincible. Her 5-year-old debut wasn't great, though, so there is some chance that just an average effort from her isn't good enough considering last year's winner, Fev Rover, looms large in here as a pace threat, and Libban had a breakthrough performance last out.
I am not concerned about either of the other three, so I anticipate having some win money on the bigger overlay between Libban and Fev Rover and then an exacta underneath Moira. I'll allow myself a peak at the exactas using both Libban and Fev Rover on top of Moira but anticipate only using Moira on top the longer price of those two.