Rhea Moon (IRE)

Rhea Moon began her career in Ireland with one race as a 2-year-old in 2021, and then was transferred to the barn of trainer Phil D’Amato in southern California for the beginning of her 3-year-old year early in 2022.

The Starspangledbanner filly’s first two starts at Santa Anita Park resulted in second-place finishes, but she got over the hump and earned the maiden victory in her third Santa Anita start in a 1 1/8-mile turf race on June 4.

Rhea Moon advanced up versus allowance competition at the Del Mar summer meet and recorded her second career win with a closing effort at one mile on Aug. 21.

Rhea Moon was entered in her first stakes race on Oct. 29 in the Grade 3 $100,000 Autumn Miss Stakes and was victorious as the third choice on the tote board at 6-1 odds in a field of 11 3-year-old fillies. She ran the one mile in a time of 1:34.44 to score a 1 1/4-length victory.

After that breakthrough graded stakes win, Rhea Moon stepped up in class to face Grade 1 company in the American Oaks on the Dec. 26 opening-day card of Santa Anita’s winter-spring meet. She rallied furiously in the stretch to edge stablemate School Dance by a head in the 1 ¼-mile turf race and secure a top-level win.

Rhea Moon was bred in Ireland. She is out of the mare Callisto Star, by Fastnet Rock.