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Sensational Moreira
The news from Singapore is that Brazilian jockey Joao Moreira has been granted a one-year extension on his current visiting jockey’s licence, which will allow him to ride through all of 2011.
The decision is hardly a surprise as Moreira has been something of a phenomenon in Singapore this year, as he leads the jockeys’ premiership by 37 wins – 94 to Vlad Duric’s 57.
Moreira, who rides at a handy 51.5kg, is set to smash Noel Callow’s record of 106 wins in a Singapore season.
The 26-year-old is rated by many Singapore trainers as possibly the best jockey in the world. He is lauded for his classic, low crouching style and his tactical sense.
The Joao Moreira profile:
Joao Moreira, 26, is one of those young emerging riders from Brazil where he has won 1200 races, mainly in Sao Paulo before relocating to Singapore in 2009.
Moreira was an instant hit with Kranji racegoers, finishing third on 69 wins at his first foray despite joining only in March and missing out about a month at the end of last year. He won two Group races with Given Vision in the last two Legs of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge. In Brazil, Moreira began his career in 2000, and has already won five wins at Grade 1 level.
Among his most famous wins in Brazil are the Grade 1 Grande Premio Diana and Grande Premio Henrique de Toledo Lara, both captured in 2008 with top filly Bubbly Jane at Cidade Jardim.
Moreira also rode Brazilian champion Eu Tambem to success in the Grade 1 Derby Argentino in Palermo, Argentina in 2006. Moreira has also ridden in France, Dubai and Uruquay and is a two-time Brazilian Eclipse Award (Trofeu Mossoro) winner (2006/7 and 2007/8). He also holds the record of most wins in one meeting at Cidade Jardem when he scored eight wins from the 11-race card in March 2006.
Photo: Joao Moreira in classic style, winning on Anak Miri at Kranji in July.
Hi Danny, very good article. I have seen Moreira since his aprentice times. He was a promising jockey and now he’s an international reallity. He was mentored by a chilean veteran jockey, Gabriel Meneses, and he got this classic position from him. I’m a fan and will be always cheering for his sucess, go Moreira go!
Gil Moss Neto
Gil,
I am surprised one of the big stables in Australia hasn’t tried to get hold of Moreira. We have a lot of handicap races, so his 51.5kg riding limit makes him an valuable resource.