Trainer Caspar Fownes has stunned Hong Kong racing by revealing he plans to apply to bring four-time champion jockey Joao Moreira back to the city as his stable rider on a short-term deal from late October to December — a move that would shake up the Hong Kong riding roster.
Moreira, who has ridden more than 1,200 winners in Hong Kong and claimed four jockeys’ premierships, is set to renew his fierce rivalry with Zac Purton during a pivotal stretch of the season that includes the prestigious Hong Kong International Races on December 14.
The application is still subject to Jockey Club approval, but Fownes has the backing of his owners and is hopeful Moreira can be riding at the Sha Tin meeting on October 26.
“He’s a superstar and his record speaks for itself. What he achieved in his time in Hong Kong has been incredible,” Fownes said.
“We’ve always got on really well, and I just said, ‘What are you doing?’ He said, ‘I’m free for a couple of months.’ So I said, ‘Why don’t you come up and ride for me?’ and he said, ‘Yeah, I’d love to.’”
Moreira has also combined with Fownes for more than 100 winners, headlined by their 2021 BMW Hong Kong Derby triumph with Sky Darci.
Fownes said the move isn’t just to utilise Moreira’s incredible on-track talents, but also to provide influence throughout the stable — whether by riding horses in trackwork or mentoring the trainer’s young apprentice, Ellis Wong.
“He can be a mentor to Ellis, and he doesn’t need too much help — he has been doing really well — but with that guidance he can improve again,” Fownes said.
For a trainer to retain a jockey, more than 85 per cent of the stable’s owners must agree to support the arrangement, contributing monthly toward the rider’s retainer. In return, the stable gets ‘first call’ on the jockey’s services, though the rider remains free to accept outside mounts when not required by the retaining stable.
Fownes said he is open to Moreira staying beyond the two-month contract — providing it is approved by officials — allowing for the fact that the HKJC may grant him a full-time Club Jockey license, or that the rider could continue his globetrotting itinerary based out of Brazil.
“We’ll see what happens, whether the Club wants to bring him back at the end of the season or whatever. If not, it doesn’t matter — the options are there,” he said.
The Brazilian has sensationally quit Hong Kong racing twice before. The first came in July, 2018 when, at the peak of his powers, he elected to leave the city and sit the stringent Japan Racing Association (JRA) exam to become a full-time rider in Japan. After failing the written test, Moreira returned to Hong Kong early the following season as stable jockey for his long-time ally, trainer John Size.
The second departure came at the start of the 2022-23 season, when Moreira cited a debilitating hip injury and psychological distress as reasons to return home and reunite with his family in Brazil.
Purton was already reigning champion when Moreira departed but the Australian has dominated without a clear challenger to his crown, breaking Moreira’s record for most wins in a season when he rode 179 winners in 2022-23.
Since leaving Hong Kong, Moreira has based himself primarily in Brazil, out of his home city of Curitiba and riding mostly in São Paulo. He was awarded a record fifth Troféu Mossoró — Brazil’s equivalent of a champion jockey title — for the 2024-25 season, which ended June 30.
He has since enjoyed successful short-term stints in Japan and Australia after undergoing several rounds of platelet-rich plasma therapy on his arthritic hip joints.
Moreira is currently based in Japan, beginning another short-term stint this weekend. He closed out his first weekend in dazzling form with three winners across two days at Hanshin. His current stint ends on September 28 when he rides Japan’s best sprinter Satono Reve in the G1 Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama.
“We’re really looking forward to having him on board,” Fownes said. “I think it’ll be great for Hong Kong racing. The fans love him, the owners do too. Joao is one of the great talents we’ve ever had here, and it’s going to be a pleasure to have him as part of the stable.”
Club officials indicated they had yet to receive an application from Fownes but the trainer had informed Head of Racing Andrew Harding that he intends to apply for Moreira to be stable jockey. ∎
