Moretti upsets Sir Winston in Belmont's Flat Out Stakes

Moretti led wire to wire to win the $80,000 Flat Out Stakes Thursday at Belmont Park, upsetting heavy favorite Sir Winston in the process.

Off at 9-5, Sir Winston finished nearly five lengths back to take second by a nose over Expert. The last time he was seen in Elmont, N.Y., he won the 2019 Belmont Stakes.

Moretti, a 4-year-old son of Medaglia d’Oro trained by Todd Pletcher, completed the 1 3/8-mile trip in 2:16.31 to pay $10.40 for the win.

The win was the third in nine tries for Moretti, and it was the second win in a row. He also scored in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race at Oaklawn Park on May 2. Javier Castellano was the jockey for both races.

Pletcher said after the race that Moretti has "always been a steady galloper and he seems like he's come around in his last couple of starts. He's really found himself and seems like he's improving, which is really what we expected all along. The older he got, the better he would get.

"When Javier [Castellano] and I spoke in the paddock, we talked about how he might be the speed of the race," Pletcher continued. "I said just to let him run into the first turn and if he found himself comfortably on the lead, that's great, and if someone else is ambitious, not to get into a pace duel. When he got into that rhythm, it looked like he was travelling really well.

"We had the Belmont in the back of our mind last year, but he just needed a little more time to develop."

Jockey Castellano said: "The way I handicapped the race, it seemed to me like I was the only speed. The horse broke good and I let him dictate the pace. He's a straightforward horse."

Asked whether Moretti's next start could come in the $200,000 Suburban (G2) on July 4, Pletcher said, "I'd say it's in the cards."