Moira and Fev Rover, Canadian horses of the year in 2022 and 2023, respectively, had raced against one another five times before Sunday. They renewed their acquaintance, intimately, at Colonial Downs, with Moira a head better than a very game Fev Rover in the Grade 2, $500,000 Beverly D. Stakes. Fev Rover set an easy pace and won the 2023 Beverly D. and nearly did so again on Sunday, leading longshot Libban through a half-mile in a tepid 49.22 seconds. Javier Castellano, Fev Rover’s jockey, said he expected Libban to set the pace, but Castellano found himself dictating a slow tempo. Stalking the pace, a couple lengths behind Fev Rover down the backstretch, Moira, the 7-10 favorite, commenced a three-wide rally around the far turn of the 1 3/16-mile turf race, easily passing Libban and setting her sites on Fev Rover. Fev Rover had raced well below her best in her first two starts of 2024, the New York Stakes at Saratoga and the Nassau at Woodbine. On Sunday, she was up for a fight. Moira and jockey Jose Ortiz - who rode the mare for the first time - looked at the quarter pole like they would wing past Fev Rover and on to a decisive victory, but Fev Rover met Moira’s challenge, initially turning her back and holding a lead to the furlong pole. Drifting slightly to the outside after failing to pass the pacesetter, Moira was steered back inside by Ortiz to more directly engage Fev Rover, finally collaring her five strides before the finish and winning by a head. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. “It’s always nerve-wracking when you hook Fev Rover,” trainer Kevin Attard said. “She’s a great horse.” Fev Rover, gallant in defeat, finished 1 3/4 lengths in front of third-place Neecie Marie, who was a head better than Nadette, both those horses making a solid run into the slow pace. Libban, outclassed, brought up the rear, while Mission of Joy was scratched in favor of a start at Kentucky Downs. Moira paid $3.40, was timed in 1:54.80 over a firm outer turf course, and notched a 98 Beyer Speed Figure. Trained by Attard for Lanni Bloodstock, Madaket Stables, and S F Racing, Moira is a 5-year-old by Ghostzapper out of Devine Aida, by Unbridled’s Song. The mare, winner of the 2022 Queen’s Plate, was bred in Canada by Adena Springs. The Beverly D. is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, and Moira earned automatic fees-paid entry into the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf and travel expenses to Del Mar. Third in the 2023 Filly and Mare Turf at Santa Anita, Moira’s connections have aimed toward the Breeders’ Cup all season. Moira returned from a layoff to finish a strong second in the Grade 1 Diana last month at Saratoga and is likely, Attard said, to make her next start Sept. 14 at her Woodbine base in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes. Moira finished second in the 2022 E.P. Taylor before a fifth-place BC Filly and Mare Turf finish, but racing over a Woodbine course softer than she prefers was a well-beaten third, four lengths behind victorious Fev Rover, in the 2023 Taylor. Attard didn’t ship Moira from Woodbine to Colonial until Friday, waiting to see how much rain Tropical Storm Debby would bring. “She’s definitely in good form right now,” Attard said. “She’s obviously always been a special horse to us. It’s just nice to see her reel off some consecutive races of consistency against top-quality competition.” Fev Rover at least verges on top quality when she brings her A game. Moira was just a little bit better Sunday at Colonial. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.