Singapore Rider Moreira 8-for-8 at Kranji
Description:
Jockey Joao "Magic" Moreira, a three-time riding champion in Singapore, made history at Kranji when he won with all eight of his mounts on the evening of Sept. 6.
The Brazilian-born ace rider surpassed the Singapore record of seven winners on a card set in 2009 by Saimee Jumaat. Moreira was pinching himself afterward.
"What's better than a dream come true? I think this is it," Moreira said. "To be honest, I never dreamed of winning on all my eight rides tonight, but when I started to close in on the fifth win, I thought maybe I had a chance, as I still had good chances."
Moreira won the first four races on the card aboard Silent Power, Hanks, Zac Spirit, and Mr Magnus before sitting out the fifth, which was restricted to apprentice jockeys. He returned to win the next three races aboard Alan, Cash Luck, and Weowna Flyer before completing his perfect program in the ninth race with U.S.-bred gelding Faretti.
The jockey visited the United States in late May, riding horses for trainer Wesley Ward at Arlington Park and Churchill Downs. Moreira won a race at Churchill and finished second aboard Judy the Beauty in the Winning Colors Stakes (gr. III). At Arlington, he rode Sisterhood to a runner-up finish in the Arlington Matron (gr. III) and was fifth on Procurement in the Arlington Classic (gr. IIIT).