Pietro Moran

Tags: Apprentice Jockey, JockeyLast Updated: January 11, 2026

Pietro Moran

Jockey, Canada

Pietro Moran has been named a finalist for the 2025 Outstanding Apprentice Jockey Eclipse Award for the 55th Annual Eclipse Awards.
January 22, 2026, reflecting his standout performance in North American racing.

Career Highlights

First race: September 10, 2023, Woodbine
Most recent race: January 9, 2026, Turfway Park

Career totals (all tracks, through December 31, 2025)
Starts: 1,258
Wins: 206
Win rate: 16.4 percent
Earnings: CAD $11,652,239 (USD $8,404,673), converted at USD/CAD 1.3864 on January 9, 2026

Year-by-year performance
2025: 140 wins, USD $6,083,835 in earnings, CAD approx $8,434,629
2024: 62 wins, earnings reported as over USD $2.2 million, CAD approx $3.05 million
2023: First professional season beginning September 10, 2023, at Woodbine

Rankings and titles
2025: Second in the Woodbine jockey standings with 139 wins at the Woodbine meet

Signature wins and milestones
Belle Mahone Stakes (Grade 3): June 1, 2024, Woodbine, aboard Fashionably Fab
King’s Plate winner: August 16, 2025, Woodbine, aboard Mansetti
Youngest King’s Plate winner since 1976: 20 years and 97 days
First father and son duo to compete in the King’s Plate: David Moran and Pietro Moran

Who is Pietro Moran, and why did Canadian horse racing take notice

Pietro Moran did not rise through Canadian racing quietly. His results forced people to look.

By the end of 2024, at just 19 years old, Moran had already won 62 races and earned more than USD $2.2 million. Those numbers placed him among the most productive young riders at Woodbine and made him one of the most talked-about apprentices in the country.

One year later, he was no longer being measured against other apprentices. He was being measured against the best riders in Canada.

In 2025, Moran won 140 races across all tracks and finished second in the Woodbine jockey standings with 139 wins at the meet. Only Rafael Hernandez won more races that season at Woodbine. That was not a breakout. That was a full season of elite-level riding.

A racing family that shaped the foundation

Moran was born into the sport. His father, David Moran, rode professionally in Ireland before relocating to Canada, where he became a multiple stakes winner at Woodbine. His mother, Maria Moran, also rode professionally in Europe. When the family moved to Canada in 2011, Pietro was six years old and already living in a racing household.

That upbringing matters. Racing is not a sport you learn in a classroom. It is discovered on the backstretch, in the barns, and by watching professionals do their jobs day after day. By the time Moran made his first professional start at Woodbine on September 10, 2023, he was not discovering racing. He was entering a profession he had already grown up around.

The first primary signal, the Belle Mahone Stakes

Every rider has a race that changes how trainers see them. For Moran, that race came on June 1, 2024.

Riding Fashionably Fab, he won the Belle Mahone Stakes, a Grade 3 event at Woodbine. It was his first graded stakes victory, and it came in his very first stakes attempt. He had worked the filly from early in her career, and that familiarity showed in the race.

In a sport built on trust between riders and trainers, that win was a turning point. It showed that Moran could deliver when the stakes were high.

The Fort Erie accident and the test of resilience

Later in 2024, Moran’s momentum was interrupted by a serious racing accident at Fort Erie. He suffered a broken bone in his back, a fractured rib, and arm lacerations, and required surgery followed by months of rehabilitation.

For a young jockey, injuries like that can end careers. For Moran, it became a test of discipline and mental strength.

By early 2025, he was back on horses. By June 7, 2025, he had become the first apprentice rider at Woodbine to reach USD $1 million in earnings in a single season. He reached that mark just 22 days into the meet.

The 2025 season that changed everything

The 2025 season was the year Moran went from promising to proven.

At Woodbine Racetrack alone, he won 139 races and finished second in the jockey standings. Across all tracks, he recorded 140 wins and earned more than USD $6 million. Those numbers placed him among the most productive riders in Canada, not just among apprentices.

King’s Plate, August 16, 2025

On August 16, 2025, Moran rode Mansetti to victory in the King’s Plate at Woodbine.

He was 20 years and 97 days old, making him the youngest winner of the race since 1976 and the third youngest of the modern era. The final time was 2:03.68.

His father, David Moran, was in the field that day, making them the first father-and-son duo to compete in the King’s Plate.

What the numbers say at the end of 2025

By the close of the 2025 season, Moran’s career stood at 206 wins from 1,258 starts, with total earnings of CAD $11.6 million.

Those are not projections. Those are established professional results.

Still riding in 2026

On January 9, 2026, Moran was riding at Turfway Park in the United States, confirming he remains an active professional jockey beyond the 2025 season.

Why Pietro Moran matters to Canadian racing

Canadian racing depends on riders who can win big races, handle pressure, and stay sound. Pietro Moran has already done all three.

He has won graded stakes.
He has recovered from a serious injury.
He has contended for a Woodbine riding title.
He has won the King’s Plate.

And he has done it all before turning 21.

Frequently Asked Questions about Pietro Moran

Q1: Who is Pietro Moran, and what has he achieved in Canadian horse racing?
Pietro Moran is a Canadian-based jockey who became one of the country’s leading young riders during the 2024 and 2025 racing seasons. In 2024, he won 62 races and earned more than USD $2.2 million. In 2025, he won 140 races across all tracks and finished second in the Woodbine jockey standings with 139 wins. He is also the 2025 King’s Plate winning jockey.

Q2: How has Pietro Moran’s family influenced his career?
Pietro is the son of professional jockeys David Moran and Maria Moran. Growing up in a racing household gave him early exposure to horses and training routines. His father’s experience as a stakes-winning jockey at Woodbine helped shape his understanding of the sport.

Q3: What significant challenges has Pietro Moran overcome?
In September 2024, Moran suffered a serious racing injury at Fort Erie that included a broken bone in his back and a fractured rib. He required surgery and months of rehabilitation before returning to racing in 2025.

Q4: How does Pietro Moran balance racing with his education?
Moran studies kinesiology at the University of Guelph Humber, which has helped him better understand physical performance and recovery during his rehabilitation.

Q5: Is Pietro Moran still riding in 2026?
Yes. Moran was actively racing in early 2026, including an appearance at Turfway Park on January 9, 2026.

Jockeys Agent | Tom Patton | +1-416-892-5774 – Weight: 108 lbs