In a shock announcement reported exclusively by South China Morning Post's Michael Cox, jockey Joao Moreira, who has rewritten the history books in Singapore and more recently in Hong Kong, has withdrawn his application to ride the 2018/2019 season in Hong Kong and will attempt to become the third full-time foreign rider in Japan.
“This was such a difficult decision and I want to thank all of the people in Hong Kong racing for what has been an amazing five seasons, but it is time to move on,” Moreira told SCMP. “When I came here I honestly thought I would be here for no more than two years, and I never expected to achieve what I have. I've experienced everything you can dream of as a jockey here and I've made some wonderful friends.”
Since his arrival in Hong Kong some 4 1/2 years ago, Moreira has routinely established and broken his own records to lead the jockeys' premiership in each of the last three seasons. He currently leads Zac Purton by a single winner, but the Brazilian denies that any preparations for Japan are not responsible for his inability to open a gap on Purton.
“That's not the reason I haven't been riding as well,” he told the Post. “If there is something that it has affected, it has been my homework and form. Maybe I have made some wrong decisions on which horses to ride. But look, Zac is an amazing jockey and I think he is the best rider here. I'll be giving it everything I've got. I want to win the championship, but if I don't, it won't be because of this distracting me.”
To be licenced in Japan, a rider must pass an exhaustive written exam and then a test in Japanese language proficiency. Christophe Lemaire and Mirco Demuro are the other two foreign jockeys based full-time in Japan.
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