Joao Moreira to miss the jump on Hong Kong racing season

Twelve jockeys from around the world will compete in this year's Shergar Cup at Ascot, attempting to win points for their respective teams and win the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle for most victories across the card. Here we look at the riders involved and their careers so far. . . Name: Tom Marquand Age: 25 Biggest win: Longines Queen Elizabeth…

There are no shortcuts to success. It comes to those who have put in hours of hard work and who learn from their setbacks. And if anyone exemplifies that, it is Australian jockey Zac Purton. The New South Wales native has just come out of his most successful riding season yet in 15 years of riding in Hong Kong. Not only has he passed the 1600…

With Hong Kong racing to take a break following Sunday night's 11-race card at Sha Tin and the news season not due to kick off until September, here are my top five moments from the past ten months in the high-pressure jurisdiction. Golden Sixty's triumph in the G1 Stewards' Cup It was built up to be a race for the ages and it did not disappoint,…

Champion sportsman Joao "Magic Man" Moreira has ridden on the biggest stages throughout the world but says it's Australia that reminds him most of home. The Brazilian native has ridden winners in England, Hong Kong, Japan, Dubai, Singapore, South Africa, Singapore, South America, and Australia and says he is "grateful" to be here to ride in Sydney…

The J-Mac and Zac show is set to light up Royal Randwick on Saturday. Champion jockeys James McDonald and Zac Purton will go head-to-head in five races including both Group 1 races. McDonald is riding the favourite in each major with Imperatriz ($1.90) for the $600000 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) and Aft Cabin ($2.60) for the $1m Randwick Guineas…

The week of the Longines Hong Kong International Races is finally upon us and human and equine stars are descending on the city from across the globe. Here's a few (educated?) guesses about what could unfold during the biggest week in Hong Kong racing. Much has been made of Joao Moreira's impending return, and the Magic Man added another element of…

Champion jockey Joao Moreira will make his swansong from Hong Kong racing at next month's International meeting after handing in his local licence. The decorated hoop and four-time Hong Kong premiership winner has been one of the brightest stars of the Hong Kong riding scene for almost a decade, but hasn't ridden in the Asian centre since September…

He will forever be remembered for his association with champion mare Winx, but jockey Hugh Bowman will aim to add even more feathers to his cap when he heads to Hong Kong for a riding sting this Sunday. Coming off a successful couple of weeks where he won the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes on Kiwi Sharp'N' Smart, the Group 2 Callender-Presnell on…

AFTER a two-month break, inner-city track Happy Valley hosts its first meeting of the 2022/23 season in Hong Kong on Wednesday, with an eight-race programme starting at 12.15pm. Most of the talk during the close season centred around the general wellbeing of champion jockeys Zac Purton and Joao Moreira, who both suffered health issues in the latter…

Joao Moreira has not ridden in Hong Kong since September 21 due to a recurring hip injury which saw him sidelined before he decided to return home to Brazil for further treatment and rehabilitation … and also, most importantly, to be with his family who had already gone back to Brazil at that time. Moreira then shocked many people by handing in his…

Hugh Bowman will now be one of the Australian representatives in the Longines International Jockeys's Championship (IJC) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. Bowman, who has over one hundred Group 1 wins to his credit and whose unique partnership with the mighty Winx will forever illuminate the records books, will replace Jye McNeil in the…

TOP jockey Joao Moreira has been hit with the biggest ban of his Hong Kong career - after pleading guilty under the'non-trier' rule. Stewards were praised by punters for coming down quickly and heavily on the ride, which will see Moreira - nicknamed'Magic Man' - banned for six meetings. The jockey was aboard 6-5 favourite Zone D at Happy Valley…

RACING fans will be treated to the sight of former Champion Jockey Zac Purton back in the saddle when racing resumes with a nine-race programme at Happy Valley today. The 39-year-old suffered a horrific fall in the Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin a month ago, fracturing his ribs, ankle, wrist, toes and breaking his nose. How on earth he can be back…

At a time when it is difficult to attract big-name jockeys to Hong Kong, betting on a rising star is a smart move by the Jockey Club licensing committee. The addition of Luke Ferraris to next season's riding roster ticks a lot of boxes - he's proven himself in South Africa, he knows the Hong Kong environment intimately, he already has a lot of…

Antoine Hamelin's incredible effort to ride five winners at Sunday's Sha Tin meeting puts him in elite company. The likeable Frenchman is just the 13th jockey to achieve the feat in the professional era of Hong Kong racing. Hamelin joins Glynn Pretty, Peter Miers, Gary Moore, Basil Marcus, Eric Legrix, Robbie Fradd, Christophe Soumillon, Douglas…

If Macau-based jockey Peter Ho Wah-lun left Sha Tin on cloud nine 12 months ago after booting home his first winner in Hong Kong thanks to his brother-in-law Frankie Lor Fu-chuen, he is at the other end of the spectrum a year on. Star trainer Lor entrusted Ho with three rides on Saturday including that of raging favourite Little Wise Man in the…

Addressing your thoughts, questions and statements about Hong Kong racing. Have something to say? Send a tweet to @SCMPRacingPost Top British jockey Silvestre de Sousa will ride in Hong Kong from November 1 to February 28 - @DRFAnderen The worst-kept secret in Hong Kong racing was confirmed on Thursday with the Jockey Club announcing De Sousa will…

On March 2, 2013, a star was born. Pakistan Star started life at Gestüt Wittekindshof in Sauerland, Germany. We recount the cult hero's path from raw talent, internet sensation and a racecourse ban for sensationally stopping mid-race - all the while building his status in becoming Hong Kong's most popular racehorse. This is the Pakistan Star story…

Before every race at Happy Valley, in the bottom left corner of the giant infield screen, you can see the dollar signs ticking over. Like a living, breathing organism, the markets evolve as the amount of money in the betting pools constantly builds with more and more people investing on a hot tip, some lucky numbers or a favourite stable. Despite…

Annabel Neasham's My Oberon has secured the talented jockey Joao Moreira for its upcoming run in the Group 1 Champions Mile in Hong Kong on April 30th. The Irish-bred gelding will take on Hong Kong's local champions, Golden Sixty and California Spangle, in the $3.8 million event, marking the only Australian-trained runner in the Champions Day…

Sydney is the next stop on Joao Moreira's global farewell tour but the superstar jockey wants to make it crystal clear he is not in town for fun. Moreira handed in his Hong Kong licence last year due to ongoing struggles with a hip issue, returning to his homeland of Brazil with plans to compete at selective international meetings as he begins the…