Brazilian jockey Joao Moreira has been recalled to Australia to join up with the strong Nathan Tinkler team at Warwick Farm on Saturday.
The Singapore based jockey has previously had success with Tinkler in Australia and trainer John Thompson is more than happy to have Moreira back in the saddle.
“He is still contracted to the Singapore Turf Club and must honour his commitments there but we are hopeful of using Joao whenever possible,” he said. “He has got the job done when he has come to Sydney for us in the past and he knows the horses well.”
Moreira has been booked to ride four of Thompson’s runners on Saturday and said that the champion Singapore jockey would be back to ride at the Apollo Stakes meeting at Rosehill next week.
Hussousa looks to be the pick of Moreira’s rides and is currently quoted at $2.70 favourite in the Listed $100,000 Tom Cassar Widden Stakes (1100m) for two year old fillies.
Three year old Kneeling in the Group 2 $175,000 Patinack Farm Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) is the best of the rest which include Isopach in the Group 2 $175,000 Royal Sovereign Stakes (1200m) and Galizani in the Group 2 $175,000 NSW Thoroughbred Breeders Classic (1200m).
Moreira has an impeccable international record having ridden more than 1,000 winners in Brazil before setting up base in Singapore.
Most of his winners were recorded in the Sao Paulo region and include the Group 1 Derby Argentino in Argentina on Brazilian champion Eu Tambem in 2006.
He is currently Singapore’s champion jockey having ridden 153 winners last year and is no stranger to riding winners on Australia.
Moreira previous winners for Tinkler include Hussousa who he partnered to take out the Listed $100,000 Keeneland Gimcrack Stakes (1000m) on October 1 last year.
And he has also had wins on Trusting’s two group 2 victories last September in the $200,000 The Bacardi Hill Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill and the $175,000 Tattersalls Club Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Warwick Farm.
Thompson’s pair of Pane In The Glass, who is to be ridden by Blake Shinn and Kneeling are set to clash in the Light Fingers and the top trainer is finding it hard to choose between them.
“I’ve never worked Kneeling with Pane In The Glass. The only way to line them up is their trial and I don’t think there is much between them,” Thompson said.
