SINGAPORE:  Sep 8, 2010

Brazilian jockey Joao Moreira, who is on course to set a new riding record this season — his second in Singapore — has been rewarded with a one-year extension to his current visiting jockey’s licence which is due to expire on Dec 31.

The 26-year-old has been a huge success since moving to Singapore in March last year when he finished third on 69 wins, despite missing out about a month at the end of the year.

This season, Moreira has taken a firm hold on the premiership table from the very beginning and is currently the runaway leader with 94 wins, clear of second-placed Vlad Duric by 37 wins, and well on course to break Noel Callow’s 2007 record of 106 wins.

After winning two Group 2 races, namely the last two Legs of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge with Given Vision last year, Moreira landed his first Group 1 win at Kranji with INTERCEPT in the Patrons’ Bowl this season. He also won two Group 3 events — the Three Rings Trophy with BETTER THAN EVER and the Saas Fee Stakes with WAIKATO.

Back in Brazil, Moreira has notched around 1,200 winners, including five at Grade 1 level. Among his most famous wins in Brazil are the Grade 1 Grande Premio Diana and Grande Premio Henrique de Toledo Lara, both captured in 2008 with top filly BUBBLY JANE at Cidade Jardim.