Three-time Singapore champion jockey Joao Moreira
completed a historic feat at Kranji on Friday when he rode eight winners from as many mounts.
In doing so, the Brazilian-born rider bested the previous Singapore record of seven winners
on a card, set by jockey Saimee Jumaat in 2009.
Moreira won the first four races on the card aboard
Silent Power, Hanks, Zac Spirit and Mr Magnus before being forced to sit
out the 5TH, an event restricted to apprentice riders.
He picked up right where he left off
with a trio of wins aboard Alan, Cash Luck and Weowna Flyer in the 6TH,
7TH and 8TH races, tying Saimee’s record before making history in the 9TH aboard
U.S.-bred gelding Faretti.
“What’s better than a dream come true? I think this
is it,” an emotional Moreira remarked after his eighth win. “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.
“I would like to first of all thank the Singapore Turf Club for having given me the chance to ride here.
There is no better place than Kranji to ride at and I’m so happy I’ve done it here.”
Moreira was also full of praise for his mounts,
especially Weowna Flyer and Faretti, who helped him tie and break the record.
“Winners come and go, but these two horses will be special to me now,” Moreira
stated. “I spoke with (trainer) Mike (Clements) after the race, and I told
him (Weowna
Flyer) is so tricky to ride. He doesn’t like to be inside runners and when I was able to take him to the outside
tonight, he showed me so much heart in the home straight.
“As for Faretti, he took a while to wind up, and
for a moment I thought the eighth win was out of my reach. But then he got going again, and I was in seventh
heaven when he hit the line in a nick of time.”
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