King's Plate 2025: Pietro Moran gets second shot at big prize with Mansetti
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By Anna Jeffs
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Still an apprentice, Pietro Moran is not letting success go to his head.
“I still look at everything the same way, trying to grow and win every race and do the best you can with every horse,” Moran said.
Woodbine’s leading jockey with 61 wins through Thursday, Pietro Moran is preparing for his second attempt at the $1 million King’s Plate, Canada’s premier race on Aug. 16.
Kevin Attard, one of Woodbine’s top trainers, has provided the 20-year-old Moran with plenty of opportunities to showcase his skills.
“I could see early on, his dedication, good work ethic, and eagerness to learn and absorb as much as he could [that] would translate into success as a jockey,” Attard said. “Pietro is a natural on a horse’s back. He sits quiet on a horse and has good hands.”
Moran rode the Attard-trained Pierre to a fourth-place finish for owners Al and Bill Ulwelling in last year’s King’s Plate.
“It was a great experience,” Moran said. “I mean, the horse ran great and the atmosphere was amazing.”
This year, Grade 3 Marine winner Mansetti is Moran’s mount. The colt, one of the King’s Plate favorites, also is owned by the Ulwellings and trained by Attard.
“I’m excited with Mansetti – he’s matured into a nice 3-year-old after showing talent at 2,” Attard said. “He passed his first two-turn test with a victory in the Marine and has trained really well heading into the King’s Plate.”
Moran also had high praise for Mansetti.
“He’s a horse that puts himself in the race and will give you his all right to the wire,” Moran said. “I think the best thing with him is just to keep him relaxed and save him for the end.”
Moran, who is entering his third year studying kinesiology at the University of Guelph-Humber, is excited at the prospect of riding in this year’s King’s Plate.
“It’s Canada’s biggest race. I have been watching it for many years, since I was small,” he said.
Moran has ridden more than 700 races but still remembers his first stakes win, the Grade 3 Belle Mahone on Fashionably Fab in June 2024. His parents and all eight of his siblings were in attendance.
“It was pretty special,” Moran recalled. “I wasn’t expecting to have an opportunity so early in my career to ride a stakes, let alone to win that race. My whole family was there. It came so fast. I just can’t describe how exciting it was.”
Moran aims to treat the King’s Plate as any other race.
“I try to prepare as best I can, watching replays, reading the [Daily Racing Form] over and over, not only on my horse, but the horses that are in the race,” Moran said.
The apprentice has already been studying the potential field for this year’s King’s Plate.
“I think it’s a wide-open race,” Moran stressed. “It’s a lot of nice 3-year-olds that are going to be in the race. Any horse can win, especially going a mile and a quarter – some might get the distance better than the others. It should be a fun race.”
Despite the inclusion of Notorious Gangster, Woodbine Oaks winner No Time, and Plate Trial winner Sedburys Ghost, Moran said he is not overly concerned about the competition.
“I’m pretty confident that we can work out a trip and that I’m on a very talented horse that has every opportunity to win,” Moran said. “And as long as we get a good trip – I know I’m hoping we get a little racing luck.”
Moran credits his father, jockey David Moran, for setting him up for success.
“It’s really helped me to have my dad to guide me along the way from the bottom and show me the right direction,” Moran said. “That kind of helped me get going and work my relationship, like have a relationship with everyone, and yeah, it definitely gave me a head start.”
In 2021, David Moran finished second in the Queen’s Plate, losing by a head on Riptide Rock but delivering his best finish in the race.
“It’s a difficult race to win – I mean, it happens only once a year,” Pietro Moran said. “Many jockeys haven’t had the chance to win this race and that shows how tough it is. Each and every year to get the right horse and the right race.”
Though still at the beginning of his career, Moran has ambitious plans for the future that he hopes will include riding in some of North America’s biggest races.
“We’re chasing good horses and trying to win as many races as we can,” he said. “So wherever that leads us, I know I’m excited for the opportunities that are given to me.”
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