Magic Joao Moreira
Jockey Joao ‘Magic’ Moreira rewrote the Hong Kong record books with eight winning rides at Sha Tin on Sunday.
It was just seven days earlier that Moreira had failed to ride a winner at a Hong Kong meeting for the first time since April, 2016.
But he bounced back with sheer brilliance on Sunday to ride eight winners at a meeting – something nobody had ever done in Hong Kong.
His previous best had been eight winners on a day in Brazil and, in Singapore, won the last eight one day and the opening race the next for nine in a row.
He had also twice won six races in Hong Kong at a meeting.
He told the South China Morning Post:
“But I think it is even harder to do in Hong Kong,” said Moreira, who screamed his delight as he brought his last winner back.
“I was so pumped. And my wife was out on the balcony and screaming out to me, so I screamed back. I so wanted to share that moment with her. You can’t ever expect these things, I have no words to describe it.”
From 10 rides, Moreira fell short by one of equalling what is believed to be the world record – nine wins on 4 June 2005, by American jockey Eddie Castro at Calder racetrack in Florida.
