Moretti, a maiden winner going 1 1-8 miles on Dec. 20, worked a half-mile in 49.77 seconds Sunday morning over Belmont Park’s training track for Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct. Moretti, with Manny Franco up, was equipped with blinkers, equipment he may wear for the first time in a race in the Withers, contested at 1 1-8 miles.

In Sunday’s work, done in company with the maiden winner Real Dan, Moretti was visually more impressive than in his previous work in which he was outfinished by Thebigfundamental, who finished third in Saturday’s Jazil Stakes. Moretti got his last quarter in 24.44 seconds and galloped out five furlongs in 1:03.08 and six furlongs in 1:16.89 over a track that was not overly quick.

Last week, Moretti didn’t finish up or gallop out nearly as strong.

Byron Hughes, the Belmont-based assistant for trainer Todd Pletcher, said he thought the work was an improvement from a week ago and that Franco concurred.

“I thought he was a little more focused and a little more in the bridle,” Hughes said. “I thought his gallop out was better than it was last week. I don’t think he was overly aggressive. It was a controlled breeze. Manny thought similar; he breezed him last week as well without blinkers and thought this breeze was better. It seems like we’re both on the same page.”

Hughes said he relayed that information to Pletcher, who is in South Florida. Since Moretti is coming off a win, Pletcher will need to seek permission from the stewards to make an equipment change, typically a formality.

Franco will ride Moretti, a son of Medaglia d’Oro owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Mike Repole, for the first time. John Velazquez him in his first two starts, a second-place finish to Bourbon War on Nov. 14 and then his maiden victory.

A field of eight is expected for the Withers, which offers 17 qualifying points (10-4-2-1) for its first four finishers toward the Kentucky Derby.

The field, with expected riders, is: Admire (Eric Cancel), Le General (Dylan Davis), Lucky Lee (Frankie Pennington), Moretti (Franco), Not That Brady (Reylu Gutierrez), Our Braintrust (Jose Lezcano), Sir Winston (undecided) and Tax (Junior Alvarado).

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