https://idolhorse.com/horse-racing-...uplifted-by-sha-tin-faithfuls-pre-derby-love/
DAVID MORGAN
The former champion is enjoying life in Brazil and relishes his short overseas assignments, including a return to Hong Kong for this week’s Derby.
19 MARCH, 2025
JOAO MOREIRA, SKY DARCI / Hong Kong Derby // Sha Tin /// 2021 //// Photo by HKJC
It’s three years since Joao Moreira last rode in the Hong Kong Derby and the Brazilian legend will head into Sunday’s edition of the big race buoyed not only by his mount Packing Angel, but also the warm support he received recently from the fickle and at times abrasive Sha Tin crowd.
Moreira’s visits to Hong Kong have been infrequent since he packed up and left the city under a cloud of painful physical injury and battered mental wellbeing back in November 2021. Since then, scurrilous claims have reared up now and then in the city’s local media, fuelled by personalities playing on the low brow gossip that Moreira was not really injured, and even spiteful suggestions that Hong Kong’s four-time champion jockey had little love for Hong Kong.
Those claims and suggestions are untrue. His chronic hip condition has responded to ongoing management and, with a decreased workload, can take the rigours of elite race-riding; his once-demoralised mind has been refreshed by his return to Brazil; and Hong Kong, he has said, will always be a special place for him and his family.
“I’m feeling good, mentally and physically,” Moreira told Idol Horse as he looked forward to “an improved performance” by Packing Angel in the Derby before then moving on to Japan for a spell riding on the Japan Racing Association (JRA) circuit from March 29 through April 27.
Moreira’s most recent visit to Hong Kong a couple of weeks ago, to ride Packing Angel in the Classic Cup, brought back a taste of the golden days when he was compiling never-before-seen numbers, collecting big-race victories for fun, and the Sha Tin faithful cheered his every win.
“Going back to Hong Kong last time was much more enjoyable than I was expecting,” Moreira continued. “I’ve said before that I felt bad when I left because I didn’t leave in the way I would have liked to. I had painful injuries and psychological health issues, but it was the way it had to be.
“However, when I was back for the Classic Cup, I realised that people do appreciate what I did there and it gave me satisfaction to see that, so I was happy to just really feel that and I’m happy to be going back for the Derby. It’s great because I’ve been getting a lot of support from trainers there and you’ll see me riding in a lot of races on the Derby card.”
JOAO MOREIRA, RAPPER DRAGON / Hong Kong Derby // Sha Tin /// 2017 / Photo by HKJC
The most important will be the Hong Kong Derby itself when he is hoping Packing Angel will be his third Derby winner, following Rapper Dragon in 2017 and Sky Darci in 2021. Francis Lui’s charge put together a hat-trick of 1400m handicap wins before stepping into the Classic Cup over 1800m last time as the 3.6 favourite under Moreira.
The pair placed fourth, beaten a length and three quarters behind the winner, Rubylot, after racing on the fence and then shifting wide in the straight. Moreira believes that was a good run and bodes well for the Derby over an extra 200m.
“He had gate one, so he was always going to be hugging the rail,” Moreira said. “I was going to be either having to really test him or trying to make sure I gave him every chance to run up to his merit. So, the question was, do I press him on and ride the race or do I ride the horse?”
He and Lui opted to ride the horse in a way that would help Packing Angel find his rhythm through his first attempt at the longer distance, an approach they felt would enable the gelding to run his best race.
“The way the race unrolled around him, he was always going to end up in the position where he ended up because they went considerably fast in the first 600 to 800 metres. I was happy not to get involved in that fast speed and I was happy with the position I had,” he continued.
“Even though it seems like I got stuck in there on the rail, I don’t believe that was so, because I actually started angling him out, getting away from those horses that went fast in the first part of the race. They obviously started to drop back when they had passed the 400-metre. I aimed to get him on the outside and he still got a clear run.
“He was the favourite, I was there wanting to win as much as the fans, people had very high expectations of him, but he was running a longer distance than he had gone before. I don’t think it was a bad run, unfortunately he wasn’t able to come up with the result we were hoping for but he still showed his potential. It was a very good run and based on that he deserves the ticket for the Derby.”
Packing Angel will need to find more if he is to come out of the 2000m race as the four-year-old generational leader, but Moreira believes that in an open year the New Zealand-bred is no worse placed than some other past winners.
“I’ve seen horses in similar sort of form, or even worse form,” he said. “And even if the distance is a query, I’ve won on horses that were not 2000-metre horses at their best, meaning they’re not a stayer or 2000-metre type of horse but they could be effective at that distance on the day.
“It’s an open sort of a race. I don’t think it’s a strong Derby and that’s not to discredit the race or downgrade it, but the four-year-olds in Hong Kong at this stage, especially for 2000 metres, don’t seem to be the strongest, to me.”
Moreira is also looking ahead to his next stint riding in Japan. During a similar period last year he landed his first Japanese classic, the G1 Oka Sho, on the Katsumi Yoshida-owned Stellenbosch, and this time he is hoping to capitalise on the G1 Osaka Hai being the same weekend as the Dubai World Cup meeting, which as usual has attracted a strong Japanese entry.
“My second weekend in Japan there will be a number of jockeys going to Dubai, so I hope I can make the most of that and get some nice rides when they’re away. It’s important for me to just keep going back there and delivering, and hopefully keep extending my eligibility: if I win another Group 1 this year that would make me eligible in 2026 and 2027,” he said.
“I had the option to do two months in Japan but I was happy to just do one month because I’ve got a young kid at home and I’d love not to spend too much time away.”
JOAO MOREIRA / Curitiba, Brazil / Photo by Idol Horse
The youngest of Moreira’s three children is about 15 months old and is a big part of why the 41-year-old is enjoying his life in Brazil, as well as the race-riding.
“I’m successful here in Brazil but more importantly I’m making sure I keep myself healthy, active, and interacting with people who are into racing. There’s no doubt that I love horse racing very much,” he said.
“Brazil is a place where I don’t make money, I make a living out of it, because prizemoney is very low, the number of races has decreased, but I’m in the position that I can pick and choose the rides I’m sitting on. I’m having good fun riding here.
“I can get pleasure out of racing here, no doubts, and things are going well, it doesn’t need to go any better. I’m not leading the championship, I was, but it’s not something I was interested in, I was away doing other things riding in other places.”
That looks set to continue for a little while yet: Moreira based out of Brazil, looking after his body and mind, enjoying home life, working closely with horses, being around friends and family, and taking short-term assignments to ride at major fixtures around the world.
And on Sunday, he is hoping his fly-in visit to his old Hong Kong home will bring a win for Packing Angel and give his Sha Tin fans even more to cheer about.
“I’m happy to be going back,” he adds. “And if I take a bit of luck, it’s the Derby … who knows?” ∎
DAVID MORGAN
Moreira Uplifted By Sha Tin Faithful’s Pre-Derby Love
- Horse Racing News
- Hong Kong Racing News
- Moreira's Hong Kong Return
The former champion is enjoying life in Brazil and relishes his short overseas assignments, including a return to Hong Kong for this week’s Derby.
19 MARCH, 2025
JOAO MOREIRA, SKY DARCI / Hong Kong Derby // Sha Tin /// 2021 //// Photo by HKJC
It’s three years since Joao Moreira last rode in the Hong Kong Derby and the Brazilian legend will head into Sunday’s edition of the big race buoyed not only by his mount Packing Angel, but also the warm support he received recently from the fickle and at times abrasive Sha Tin crowd.
Moreira’s visits to Hong Kong have been infrequent since he packed up and left the city under a cloud of painful physical injury and battered mental wellbeing back in November 2021. Since then, scurrilous claims have reared up now and then in the city’s local media, fuelled by personalities playing on the low brow gossip that Moreira was not really injured, and even spiteful suggestions that Hong Kong’s four-time champion jockey had little love for Hong Kong.
Those claims and suggestions are untrue. His chronic hip condition has responded to ongoing management and, with a decreased workload, can take the rigours of elite race-riding; his once-demoralised mind has been refreshed by his return to Brazil; and Hong Kong, he has said, will always be a special place for him and his family.
“I’m feeling good, mentally and physically,” Moreira told Idol Horse as he looked forward to “an improved performance” by Packing Angel in the Derby before then moving on to Japan for a spell riding on the Japan Racing Association (JRA) circuit from March 29 through April 27.
Moreira’s most recent visit to Hong Kong a couple of weeks ago, to ride Packing Angel in the Classic Cup, brought back a taste of the golden days when he was compiling never-before-seen numbers, collecting big-race victories for fun, and the Sha Tin faithful cheered his every win.
“Going back to Hong Kong last time was much more enjoyable than I was expecting,” Moreira continued. “I’ve said before that I felt bad when I left because I didn’t leave in the way I would have liked to. I had painful injuries and psychological health issues, but it was the way it had to be.
“However, when I was back for the Classic Cup, I realised that people do appreciate what I did there and it gave me satisfaction to see that, so I was happy to just really feel that and I’m happy to be going back for the Derby. It’s great because I’ve been getting a lot of support from trainers there and you’ll see me riding in a lot of races on the Derby card.”
JOAO MOREIRA, RAPPER DRAGON / Hong Kong Derby // Sha Tin /// 2017 / Photo by HKJC
The most important will be the Hong Kong Derby itself when he is hoping Packing Angel will be his third Derby winner, following Rapper Dragon in 2017 and Sky Darci in 2021. Francis Lui’s charge put together a hat-trick of 1400m handicap wins before stepping into the Classic Cup over 1800m last time as the 3.6 favourite under Moreira.
The pair placed fourth, beaten a length and three quarters behind the winner, Rubylot, after racing on the fence and then shifting wide in the straight. Moreira believes that was a good run and bodes well for the Derby over an extra 200m.
“He had gate one, so he was always going to be hugging the rail,” Moreira said. “I was going to be either having to really test him or trying to make sure I gave him every chance to run up to his merit. So, the question was, do I press him on and ride the race or do I ride the horse?”
He and Lui opted to ride the horse in a way that would help Packing Angel find his rhythm through his first attempt at the longer distance, an approach they felt would enable the gelding to run his best race.
“The way the race unrolled around him, he was always going to end up in the position where he ended up because they went considerably fast in the first 600 to 800 metres. I was happy not to get involved in that fast speed and I was happy with the position I had,” he continued.
“Even though it seems like I got stuck in there on the rail, I don’t believe that was so, because I actually started angling him out, getting away from those horses that went fast in the first part of the race. They obviously started to drop back when they had passed the 400-metre. I aimed to get him on the outside and he still got a clear run.
“He was the favourite, I was there wanting to win as much as the fans, people had very high expectations of him, but he was running a longer distance than he had gone before. I don’t think it was a bad run, unfortunately he wasn’t able to come up with the result we were hoping for but he still showed his potential. It was a very good run and based on that he deserves the ticket for the Derby.”
Packing Angel will need to find more if he is to come out of the 2000m race as the four-year-old generational leader, but Moreira believes that in an open year the New Zealand-bred is no worse placed than some other past winners.
“I’ve seen horses in similar sort of form, or even worse form,” he said. “And even if the distance is a query, I’ve won on horses that were not 2000-metre horses at their best, meaning they’re not a stayer or 2000-metre type of horse but they could be effective at that distance on the day.
“It’s an open sort of a race. I don’t think it’s a strong Derby and that’s not to discredit the race or downgrade it, but the four-year-olds in Hong Kong at this stage, especially for 2000 metres, don’t seem to be the strongest, to me.”
Moreira is also looking ahead to his next stint riding in Japan. During a similar period last year he landed his first Japanese classic, the G1 Oka Sho, on the Katsumi Yoshida-owned Stellenbosch, and this time he is hoping to capitalise on the G1 Osaka Hai being the same weekend as the Dubai World Cup meeting, which as usual has attracted a strong Japanese entry.
“My second weekend in Japan there will be a number of jockeys going to Dubai, so I hope I can make the most of that and get some nice rides when they’re away. It’s important for me to just keep going back there and delivering, and hopefully keep extending my eligibility: if I win another Group 1 this year that would make me eligible in 2026 and 2027,” he said.
“I had the option to do two months in Japan but I was happy to just do one month because I’ve got a young kid at home and I’d love not to spend too much time away.”
JOAO MOREIRA / Curitiba, Brazil / Photo by Idol Horse
The youngest of Moreira’s three children is about 15 months old and is a big part of why the 41-year-old is enjoying his life in Brazil, as well as the race-riding.
“I’m successful here in Brazil but more importantly I’m making sure I keep myself healthy, active, and interacting with people who are into racing. There’s no doubt that I love horse racing very much,” he said.
“Brazil is a place where I don’t make money, I make a living out of it, because prizemoney is very low, the number of races has decreased, but I’m in the position that I can pick and choose the rides I’m sitting on. I’m having good fun riding here.
“I can get pleasure out of racing here, no doubts, and things are going well, it doesn’t need to go any better. I’m not leading the championship, I was, but it’s not something I was interested in, I was away doing other things riding in other places.”
That looks set to continue for a little while yet: Moreira based out of Brazil, looking after his body and mind, enjoying home life, working closely with horses, being around friends and family, and taking short-term assignments to ride at major fixtures around the world.
And on Sunday, he is hoping his fly-in visit to his old Hong Kong home will bring a win for Packing Angel and give his Sha Tin fans even more to cheer about.
“I’m happy to be going back,” he adds. “And if I take a bit of luck, it’s the Derby … who knows?” ∎
