General News

Palgrave’s Pietro Moran rides Mansetti to victory at the 166th running of the King’s Plate

September 4, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Jim Stewart

20-year old Pietro Moran of Palgrave rode Mansetti into the Winner’s Circle at the King’s Plate at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto on Saturday, August 16.

Mansetti—listed at 10:1 odds prior to the race and 18:1 at race time—won the prestigious Triple Crown event by 2 ½ lengths ahead of Tom’s Magic while Notorious Gangster finished third.

Moran, who graduated from St. Michael’s High School in Bolton in 2023, guided the three-year-old out of the first post position and covered the 1¼ mile distance in 2:03:68.

The King’s Plate record is held by Moira who sped around the track in 2:01:48 in 2022.

Pietro Moran described Mansetti’s performance at Woodbine and the feeling it generated when the dynamic duo got off to a big lead.

“I was really excited. I was hoping no one was going to catch us. They were all further behind. It was pure excitement and joy to cross the finish line.”

In the shaded recesses of the Schomberg Pub’s leafy patio, the amiable apprentice jockey described winning the famous stakes race.

“It was the thrill of winning. You and the horse are crossing the line to win. It’s the biggest race in Canada – it’s the highlight of racing. A lot of people don’t get these opportunities and I didn’t think it was going to happen to me this early in my career. Hopefully, it’s the first of many. I loved that, after the race, I saw all the people who worked with Mansetti to make this happen – all the sacrifices that were made by so many for us to be successful.”

After Moran expressed his appreciation to groomers, exercise riders, hot walkers, trainers, owners, nutritionists, and doctors that played such a big role in the team’s King’s Plate triumph, he described his growing connection to Mansetti.

“It’s special. We’ve won some nice races this year. I rode his first race on April 27 and we went three for three during the first week at the beginning of the season. We knew he was talented. His owner is from Minnesota and he owns a chain of Italian restaurants called Mansetti. So, I nicknamed him ‘Pizza Boy’, but most of all I call him ‘Man’ not just because it’s short for Mansetti, but because he is The Man. He’s really cool and he’s matured so much. He was just a sprinter when we started together, but now he’s much more calm and he showed that calmness in the closing stretch on Saturday when he relaxed in the back half of the race after we jumped out to such a big lead.”

The 166th running of the King’s Plate featured much local talent.

Pietro’s father, David, rode William T from the second post position to an eighth-place finish. It was a remarkable father-son moment and it was historical. With Pietro and Mansetti on the rail and David and William T beside them in No. 2, it constituted the first time in King’s Plate history that a son and father both rode in the opening jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown.

David Moran described the moment at the rail before the race and the moment of recognition midway through the race that Pietro was going to win the King’s Plate: “There was quite a bit of pride I felt prior to the race, but by the time we got into the gates, we were both focused on winning and it was every man for himself. When I was coming around the bend, I saw his colours and I looked up and I saw him leading. I was pushing to get on the board at that point and lost sight of him. However, I was able to get up behind him and be the first to congratulate him. My older son, William, was the outrider that led Pietro to the Winner’s Circle.”

The proud dad and distinguished jockey in his own right praised Pietro’s performance in the big race: “The extraordinary part was that an apprentice rider won the race. To go out and do that means that Pietro is ready for the next level.”

David Moran came a close second in the 2021 Plate astride Riptide Rock—narrowly losing the 162nd running by a head to Safe Conduct. Much like his son, David found success at an early age.

“I’ve been racing since I was 15 and served my five-year apprenticeship with Jim Bulger in Ireland. I flew into Canada to race here in 2009 and won the Princess Elizabeth Stakes. In 2010, I flew in and won the Woodbine Oaks and finished third in the Queen’s Plate. I finally moved my family to Canada in 2011.”

Moran described a satisfying father-son moment on the day after Pietro won the King’s Plate on Saturday: “We both rode two winners the next day at Woodbine. We topped off quite a weekend by winning four of the nine races on Sunday.”

Winning and racing are deeply entrenched in the Moran family – comprised of two parents and nine children. Not only is Pietro the winningest jockey at Woodbine this year with 68 victories, but his mother, Maria, had a distinguished racing record as well in Europe.

David Moran described his wife’s achievements: “Maria rode winners in Italy during a six-year career. She moved to Ireland and shared her love of horses with me. That’s where we met in 2000. She takes care of all eleven of us and puts up with a family filled with athletes. She prepares and cooks healthy meals for us and does so much that is at the heart of our success. She takes such good care of our nine children: William, Pietro, Angela, Evan, Matteo, Maria, Sara, Marta, and David Jr.”

In addition to praising Maria’s sacrifices and foundational qualities, David Moran also described Pietro’s courage and resilience after suffering a nearly-catastrophic fall in 2024.

“He almost didn’t make it to the King’s Plate. Pietro had a bad fall in Fort Erie in September and broke his back. He missed the rest of the season and was in hospital for a week. The Hamilton General Hospital surgical staff did a great job fusing his T6 and T10 vertebrae. He was less than a year removed from the fall in Fort Erie when he won on Saturday. It was remarkable for him to come back from such a serious injury and so much sacrifice was made. A serious amount of work had to be put in by Pietro, including maintaining a proper diet for jockeys, before we could experience the relief and joy of this past weekend.” 

Pietro Moran described his arduous pathway back to competition: “For a few months, all I was allowed to do was walk, but by the New Year, I was cleared to work out. Kirk Dyer—my sprint trainer—did such a great job to help me get my strength back and we did resistance training with bands and ropes to get back in shape. I was back on a horse in February and rode different horses to prepare for the new racing season.”

The rising equestrian star described the feelings he had in the Winner’s Circle after battling through such a difficult spinal injury and winning Canada’s premier horse racing event: “It was where everything hit me at once—all the crowd, the connections to the owners and trainers, my family. There was a lot of attention and it was such a special moment. Flowers were everywhere and everyone was so excited and emotional.”

The resident of Palgrave also described his awareness of the rich history of the village in terms of producing high performance jockeys.

Robin Platts, who was inducted into the Caledon Sport Hall of Fame in 2024, won the Queen’s Plate in 1977 aboard Sound Reason and won the prestigious high stakes race four times in his career—three times for Hall of Fame trainer Gil Rowntree.

Platts raced for 35 years and won close to 250 stakes races. In 1968, Platts won a career high 219 races and his best afternoon came on September 8, 1971 when he guided home six winners. The legendary jockey was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1997.

Platts’s stellar career may, indeed, serve as a beacon for Palgrave’s latest racing sensation. Pietro Moran hopes to pursue Platts’s record of four Plate victories and disclosed quietly: “I’m a quarter of the way there.”

Moran’s competitive nature is inspirational and his maturity is beyond his years. He has a backup plan in case his success in horse racing dissipates and described his love of learning.

“I’m in my third year of a Kin degree at Guelph Humber. I love how I can compare my studies to my life as an athlete. I’ve always been intrigued by fitness and health.”

The dedicated student-athlete expressed his appreciation to his Guelph Humber academic adviser Joseph Italiano for helping him balance an equestrian career and university courses.

“I met him in Grade 11 at St. Michael’s and he recruited me to attend Guelph-Humber. He’s done everything possible to make my racing and studies manageable.”

The appreciative, high-performance athlete also thanked his St. Mike’s Co-Op teacher Paola Marconi for being such a steadying influence in his life as a high school student.

“Ms. Marconi supported me and allowed me to do a Co-Op term at Kevin Attard’s training facility so I could spend time with the horses every day and do my placement in that kind of setting. I was able to improve my riding and reflect on my learning for high school credits. Ms. Marconi became very interested in my goals connected to a racing career and I appreciated her support in helping me achieve my goals.”

Readers Comments (0)