Our questions are answered by four-time Hong Kong champion, a go-to rider on the international scene currently embarking on a farewell world tour.
Frankie Dettori is not the only internationally acclaimed jockey who is on a victory lap. The outstanding Brazilian rider Joao ‘Magic Man’ Moreira is on a world tour of his own, albeit one that should stretch into 2024 as well.
Retirement is being forced on four-time Hong Kong champion Moreira after doctors recommended that – unless he was prepared to withstand continuous pain from a hip issue – he would have to bring an end to a career from which he has reaped prolific success wherever he has ridden.
Moreira’s win tally in Hong Kong alone stands at 1,234, third in the all-time list, and where he rode a record eight winners on a single card in 2017. The 38-year-old has eased back on his workload and eased away from Hong Kong to join his family in Brazil, in order to fulfil some bucket-list targets. These will include a three-month stay in Australia followed by a visit to Europe around August.
Which racing figure past or present do you most admire?
Frankie Dettori is the most famous rider ever. What he has done is extraordinary. He is the most brilliantly talented jockey there has ever been on earth, in my opinion. When I started off as an apprentice, he was still riding for Godolphin. He rode Dubai Millennium who was a brilliant horse ridden by a brilliant rider. That was eye-catching to me.
Which is your favourite venue and race anywhere in the world?
My favourite racecourse is Meydan in Dubai. It is the most modern – there is a lot of technology over there – and it has become a major international venue.
The most prestigious race is the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. I’ve never ridden in it. Not yet, but there is still time. I watch the race every year. Now I am freelance, I own my own rides, so who knows I might be able to find my own ride?
Who is your favourite racehorse and why?
I have got to say Deep Impact. He is the horse who impressed me the most. The way he used to win his races is the way I like to watch a horse win a race. He would race midfield and dash home in a way that no one could stop. Of the horses I have ridden it would have to be Able Friend. He was so good to me. We had seven wins together and five in G1s. He was a superstar in Hong Kong.
What is your fondest memory in racing?
When I won the Derby Argentina (Gran Premio Nacional) in 2006. It was my first international G1 win with a horse coming from home. I took this horse from when he was two, knew nothing, and we raced him all the way until he became a champion. He won six out of seven in Brazil and then he went to Argentina to run in the Derby and he made history by becoming the first international horse and the first from Brazil to win that race. His name was Eu Tambem.
If you could change one thing in racing, what would it be?
My age! I would like to go back and be a teenager once again. I would do everything different. If it was to do exactly the same thing in life, I wouldn’t go back. But if I could change things I would go for sure.
There are still some things I can experience, I definitely want to ride in Australia if I can get a visa and Japan if I am granted a licence. Whatever opportunities I get, I do want to consider them because I haven’t much time left. I want to make the end of my career a really good racing experience. I have in mind that I will be riding in England by August. I hope we can make that happen.
Joao Moreira was speaking to Jon Lees
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