Type: Retained Jockey
Nationality: BRZ
Background:
Age: 36. Brazilian sensation Joao Moreira, known as ''Magic Man'', notched more than 1,000 wins in South America. He relocated to Singapore in 2009 and was a dominant four-time champion jockey. He moved to Hong Kong in October 2013 and was runner-up in the title race that term with 97 wins before clinching a first championship in a record smashing 2014/15 campaign that yielded an all-time high 145 wins - he demolished that record in 2015/16 with 168 wins, and improved again in 2016/17 with 170 wins. He partnered Rapper Dragon in 2017 as the horse became the first to win all three legs of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series (Hong Kong Classic Mile, Hong Kong Classic Cup, Hong Kong Derby). Moreira departed for Japan at the end of the 2017/18 season but returned to Hong Kong in December 2018 to ride as stable jockey to John Size. He ended that term with 90 wins and in the 2019/20 season he amassed 138 wins, HK$206m in prize money as well as five Group 1s, including two aboard that season's Champion Sprinter, Beat The Clock.
Achievements:
Hong Kong Champion Jockey (2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17); LONGINES IJC winner (2012); Japan's World All-Star Jockeys winner (2015); Singapore Champion Jockey (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013); Brazilian Eclipse Award winner (2006/07, 2007/08); fastest 100 in a Hong Kong season (22 February, 2017); Hong Kong record for most wins in a season (170 in 2016/17); most wins in a Hong Kong race day (eight: 5 March, 2017); Singapore record for most wins in a season (206 in 2012); eight wins from eight rides at Kranji (6 September, 2013); eight wins in a day at Cidade Jardim (March, 2006).
Notable Race Wins Include
Hong Kong Mile (2014 Able Friend), Hong Kong Cup (2014 Designs On Rome), Hong Kong Sprint (2015 Peniaphobia, 2019 Beat The Clock), Hong Kong Vase (2016 Satono Crown, 2019 Glory Vase), QEII Cup (2017 Neorealism), Champions Mile (2015 Able Friend, 2016 Maurice), Hong Kong Derby (2017 Rapper Dragon), Centenary Sprint Cup (2014 Amber Sky, 2019 Beat The Clock, 2020 Beat The Clock), Hong Kong Gold Cup (2014 Military Attack, 2015 Designs On Rome, 2020 Time Warp), Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (2015 Able Friend), Stewards' Cup (2015 Able Friend, 2020 Waikuku), Chairman's Sprint Prize (2019 Beat The Clock), Hong Kong Classic Mile (2014 Able Friend, 2017 Rapper Dragon), Hong Kong Classic Cup (2017 Rapper Dragon), Newmarket Handicap (2015 Brazen Beau), Al Quoz Sprint (2014 Amber Sky), Coolmore Stud Stakes (2014 Brazen Beau), Dubai Golden Shaheen (2014 Sterling City), Dubai Turf (2017 Vivlos), Gran Premio Nacional (2006 Eu Tambem), Queen Elizabeth II Cup (JPN) (2018 Lys Gracieux).
Hong Kong Career Wins
(at start of 2020/21 season): 945 (win strike rate: 21.73%).
Year | Happy Valley | Shatin | 1000m-1200m | 1400m-1650m | 1800m-2000m | 2000m+ | ||||||||||||||||||
1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | |
21 | 31 | 24 | 13 | 129 | 41 | 25 | 23 | 189 | 33 | 23 | 16 | 160 | 30 | 21 | 16 | 124 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Distance | Win | 2nd | 3rd | Lost | Total Ride | Win% | ||
Happy Valley | 1000 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 36.84 | |
1200 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 35 | 58 | 17.24 | ||
1650 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 37 | 29.73 | ||
1800 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 27.27 | ||
2200 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||
Shatin | All weather | 1200 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 15 | 6.67 |
1650 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 36.36 | ||
1800 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
Turf | 1000 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 22 | 22.73 | |
1200 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 26 | 46 | 21.74 | ||
1400 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 26 | 53 | 15.09 | ||
1600 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 23 | 30.43 | ||
1800 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 44.44 | ||
2000 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 28.57 | ||
2400 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Draw Year | <4 | 4-10 | 10-20 | 20+ | ||||||||||||
1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | |
21 | 48 | 23 | 13 | 125 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 151 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 |
Draw Year | 1-5 | 6-10 | 11-14 | |||||||||
1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total | |
21 | 42 | 21 | 16 | 138 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 116 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 64 |
Trainer | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Lost | Total |
C. Fownes | 21 | 13 | 6 | 32 | 72 |
John Size | 16 | 13 | 7 | 45 | 81 |
F. C. Lor | 9 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 31 |
A. S. Cruz | 8 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 25 |
K. W. Lui | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 17 |
Y. S. Tsui | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 21 |
A. T. Millard | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
D. Ferraris | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
K. L. Man | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 10 |
C. S. Shum | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 |
D. Whyte | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 |
L. Ho | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
P. F. Yiu | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
C. H. Yip | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
C. W. Chang | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
D. A. Hayes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
D. Hall | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
K. H. Ting | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
P. O'Sullivan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
R. Gibson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
T. P. Yung | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
W. Y. So | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |