The equestrian fans watched in awe as star mare Moira surged her way to glory. The Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) were in full swing on November 2, and all eyes were on the 5-year-old foal. What made this victory so special, you ask? In the 2022 edition at Keeneland, she could only muster up a fifth-place finish. Last year, she moved up two places in Santa Anita and finished third. But it looks like the third time was the charm since this year. She completed the 1 3/8 mile course in 2:14.95. Racing in mid-pack, she locked horns with Cinderella’s Dream.

Yet she took over in the stretch and stole a stellar win from the race favorite by half-length! But another factor makes this win remarkable. This was the mare’s first Grade 1 victory. With a cash prize of $1,040,000, it boosted her earnings to $2,996,017. Moira’s record now stands at 17-7-6-2. And merely 48 hours after her stellar victory, a surprising announcement caused a stir in the community.

Moira will now continue her horse racing career across the ocean

With her stellar victory on November 2, the mare has achieved a feat that only two horses have pulled off before her. She clinched a victory in the King’s Plate, formerly known as the Queen’s Plate, along with a Breeder’s Cup event. But on November 4, the Canadian Horse of the Year was purchased by a group called Bayles for $4.3 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in Lexington. Even though Fasig-Tipton’s CEO, Boyd Browning, didn’t unveil their identity, he reiterated that a major international player in the Thoroughbred industry had made the bid.

But on November 8, it was revealed that Yulong Investments had purchased Moira days after she won the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1). A Reddit user called northdancer shared the news on r/horseracing. The owner, Yuesheng Zhang, successfully bid for her over the phone hours before the Melbourne Cup. So, what does the future look like for the 5-year-old mare? According to Yulong Stud’s general manager, Vin Cox, no immediate plans have been laid out for her. 

On the other hand, the mare will likely enjoy a short- or medium-term racing career in Australia. While the Breeder’s Cup winner has a bright future ahead of her, it was emotional for her trainer, Kevin Attard. He knew this day would be coming, yet it wasn’t easy to part ways with his star mare. Attard reiterated how she had done a lot for him and wished she had the best life down under. However, he isn’t the only one. Several fans didn’t know how to feel about the news either.

The bittersweet announcement has left the equestrian community reeling

This wasn’t Moira’s first brush in with The November Sale. She made an appearance in 2023 as well. However, Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni believed the foal still had some unfinished business on the course. So, he paid $3 million to buy her back. And what do you know? He was right! The 5-year-old added a Grade 1 to her tally earlier this month, just as they expected.

But one fan wasn’t ecstatic about the news: “Things like this kinda bum me out. A really cool mare wins the biggest race of her life and is immediately sold off and shipped across the world. Really hope they take good care of her and treat her like the champion she is. Thank you Moira for making my year along with Whitebeam and Gina Romantica in the Diana. You made a fan for life that day.” We understand why this fan feels dejected. 

Before she surprised the world with her stunning victory this year, Moira proved her mettle in the Diana Stakes (G1) earlier this year. On July 13, she made her first start since a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. The stakes were higher than ever. Yet, the 5-year-old raced brilliantly, trailing behind the winning horse, Whitebeam, at Saratoga.

However, another fan felt otherwise: “I love this. Seeing people buy her that want to race and have some fun instead of hustling to the shed is both refreshing and a huge risk for them, but it’ll be awesome to see her stack up against Australian competition.” Many believed that this decision was for the mare to sprout more offspring. On the other hand, a fan pointed out, “If it makes American readers feel any better Yulong loves to buy very good mares for their stallions. And they race some darn good horses. They’re a powerhouse in Australia and do a very good job. She’s not going to disappear into obscurity – she’s going to get every chance in a very high profile operation.” This fan isn’t wrong. 

In Australia, the racing season takes place through July. More importantly, Yulong is a major player in the Australian racing landscape. So, it is highly likely that Moira will debut on the Australian circuit sooner rather than later. Even though Yulong hasn’t specified when that will happen, it was confirmed that this will be the plan.

One fan opined, “I hope they race her in Australia. Really enjoy betting those races and would like to see how competitive she is down there.” Several fans have enjoyed watching her race against her counterparts in Canada. On the other hand, it would be exciting to see her leave an indelible mark down Under. Yet another fan exclaimed, “If she ultimately goes to Japan as a broodmare, we may be seeing her babies back over here eventually.” Many, like this fan, widely assumed that the mare would retire and join the farm’s broodmare band. 

Along with being a major player in the racing sector, they also invest in quality yearlings and broodmares while offering breeders a quality stallion roster at their Victorian base. They also have operations for racing and breeding in Europe and America and a focus on expanding their operations in mainland China. So this fan isn’t too far off. What do you think of the star’s move?