Mansetti slices his way to Woodstock Stakes win

TORONTO, April 27, 2025 — Mansetti, sent off as the 2-1 choice, surged past rivals late to capture the $125,000 Woodstock Stakes on Sunday at Woodbine.

Ridden confidently by Pietro Moran, Mansetti — a son of Collected out of the Sky Mesa mare Gidget Girl — notched his second career stakes victory. He won last year’s Clarendon Stakes at Woodbine. The colt is trained by Kevin Attard and owned by Al and Bill Ulwelling.

Second choice Big Vince, making his Canadian debut, grabbed the early lead while longshot Kokomo pressed from the outside. Big Vince maintained a one-length advantage through an opening quarter in :22.46 in the six-furlong contest for 3-year-olds. Mansetti tracked in third, another half-length back.

Big Vince continued to set the tempo through a half in :45.61, but Kokomo remained close through the turn. As the front-runners battled, Mansetti launched his bid on the inside, cutting into the margin.

Straightening for home, Moran found a seam, and Mansetti accelerated with authority to seize command midway down the lane, drawing off to score by four lengths in a final time of 1:10.70.

Big Vince crossed the wire second but was disqualified and placed fourth for interference at the start. Notorious Gangster was elevated to second, with Incoming promoted to third. Church and State was scratched.

“He broke well and relaxed nicely. I just let those two go on with it,” said Moran, a finalist for last year’s Sovereign Award as Canada’s champion apprentice jockey. “Around the turn, I was sitting on a lot of horse. Once he got the hole, he just kicked.”

The win marked another notable success for the Attard-Moran duo.

Attard, recently crowned Canada’s 2024 champion trainer, praised Moran, who made a strong return to riding after a season-ending spill last September.

“Not only a great jockey, but also a tremendous human being,” said Attard, who enjoyed four wins — all with Moran — on the weekend.

“I’m happy to be back, and I thank everyone for their support,” said Moran, who recorded five wins over Saturday and Sunday. “I’m grateful to Kevin for trusting me and to the Ulwellings for the opportunity.”

Mansetti’s win may have shifted expectations for the colt’s future.

“If you’d asked me last fall if the Plate was on the radar, I would have said no,” admitted Attard, referencing the $1 million King’s Plate on August 16. “But he’s really matured from two to three. He’s more relaxed. We took the blinkers off, and mentally, I think he’s just a different horse.”

Mansetti entered the Woodstock off a fifth-place finish in January’s Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct.

“We took a shot in New York. The track was tiring — he didn’t handle it well. The Ulwellings made the right call giving him the winter off,” Attard said.

Mansetti debuted with a win last September at Woodbine, dueling early before pulling away by 1 ¼ lengths in 1:11.49.

With the Woodstock victory, the Ontario-bred colt, bred by Jungle Racing LLC, has now won three of five career starts. He paid $6.80 to win.

A $40,000 purchase (Hip No. 48) from the 2024 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training, Mansetti is named after a popular pizza and pasta restaurant in the Ulwellings’ home state of Minnesota.

Chris Lomon, Woodbine