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Few days ago Joao Moreira withdrew his application to ride in HK in 2018/19 and does not appear among those licensed on Friday by HKJC:
http://racingnews.hkjc.com/english/2018/06/08/licensing-committee-decisions-4/
He will instead seek to become the third full-time foreign jockey to ride in Japan, alongside the two jockey-table leaders Mirco Demuro and Christophe Lemaire:
http://japanracing.jp/en/racing/news_media/jockey_rank/
To get a full-time JRA licence, Joao needs to pass two tests:
a) written exam on rules, regulations, statistics and history of Japanese racing; then
b) spoken interview with JRA officials to show Japanese language skills.For an English-speaker neither is particularly demanding, plus Joao has already had several short-term licenses there.
For a), he needs to be familiar with the JRA website:
http://japanracing.jp/en/about/outline/
For b), he can get by through sticking with English loan-words that have entered Japan via the Katakana aspect of the language.
Improbable as it may sound, Katakana allows an English speaker passable spoken communication in Japan by sticking to popular English words while channelling Benny Hill, eg:
Start = スタート (sutaato)
Finish = フィニッシュ (finisshu)
Objection = オブジェクション (obujekushon)
Off The Record = オフザレコード (ofuzarekoodo)
Winner = ウイナー (uinaa)
Saddle = サドル (sadoru)
Helmet = ヘルメット (herumetto)
(for Lester fans) ice-cream = アイスクリーム (aisukuriimu)
It is an odd but effective way of getting by while gradually picking-up perhaps more-grammatically-appropriate synonyms, whether in Kana or Kanji.
Have little doubt that Joao – particularly with his ability to ride light – will prove as great a success in Japan as he has been in HK and Singapore, and will follow with interest his progress.
JRA racing season runs through the calendar year, though the Tokyo track takes a rest in July, Aug and Sep:
http://japanracing.jp/en/racing/schedule/jra/2018.html?openTab=Jun
Joao has been given a short-term licence to ride in Japan from July 28 thru August 24:
http://japanracing.jp/_news2018/180726.htmlThis presumably so that he can represent Brazil on August 25 and 26 in the JRA’s World All-Star Jockeys contest, rather than take one of the slots reserved for JRA-licensed jockeys:
http://japanracing.jp/_news2018/180806.htmlHe has been getting in the swing of things at the non-metropolitan courses to which JRA jockeys decamp during summer, bagging a few winners at Sapporo, starting with his first ride (in Race 2 on July 28):
http://japanracing.jp/en/racing/result/Though as yet only in 42nd place in the table with his 15 winners, he is currently running a win ratio of 0.395 and a top-three ratio of 0.658.
To put that in context, the equivalent ratios for the two runaway leading jockeys are: Christophe Lemaire 0.244 and 0.546; Mirco Demuro 0.242 and 0.554. Yutaka Take is 0.148 and 0.393.
Joao has had 38 rides so far. Ryan Moore earlier in the year had 29 with a win ratio of 0.241 and top-three ratio of 0.586.
So Joao is making an impact.
http://japanracing.jp/en/racing/result/Not riding in Japan this weekend as will be at Ascot along with Yutaka Take for the Shergar Cup.
Joao finished only fifth in this weekend’s four-race JRA World Jockey tournament (winning one), but overall he won 4 of the 11 races on the card today, after 5 of the 12 races yesterday.
In the four meetings since the last update, he has moved to 25th in the 2018 Jockey Table with now 31 wins from 75 rides at an improved win ratio of 0.413 and a top 3 ratio of 0.627 – those ratios some way ahead of the competition.
Technically he fell out of JRA licence on Friday but doubtless there will be further news on that front shortly
weekend cards are out and no rides for Joao. this may mean that he’s now done with short-term licences and the next time he rides it will be under the first stage of a full Japanese licence, as to which he said last weekend:
“I will do my very very best not just to go through the test but to make it happen. I believe I still have a lot to improve but I’m quite comfortable where I am right now and fortunately I still have plenty of time to prepare for the test.”
Joao has just been given another short-term licence, from Sep 29 – Oct 28:
http://japanracing.jp/_news2018/180927-02.html
presumably still work to do in getting his stage 1 full JRA licence, plus needing to race-ride / earn in the meantime.
so this Saturday and Sunday he rides at Nakayama:
http://japanracing.jp/en/racing/result/on his return today after a month off, 5 wins and a third from eight rides net prizemoney of JPY 64.38m (GBP 434,565).
Sunday second day back relatively disappointing – two wins, a second, fourth, two fifths and two sevenths from eight rides, for prizemoney of JPY 22.52m (GBP 152k).
at 10 per cent, how’s a chap expected to live on GBP 58k for two days work ? barely touches footballer at the elite level, and have you seen the price of fish? (around GBP 250 for 20 smallish pieces here):
http://www.arryjapan.com/en/site/restaurant-detail/1
https://www.sushi-jiro.jp/dining-at-jiro/Three-day weekend with the “Happy Monday” public holiday in Japan of Health and Sports Day seeing Joao ride today at Kyoto after Tokyo on Sat and Sun.
Every JRA horse has to be registered and trained at either Miho Training Center (est 1978, local to Nakayama and Tokyo courses) or Ritto Training Center (est 1969, local to Kyoto, Hanshin and Chukyo):
http://japanracing.jp/en/about/jra/center.html
Each Center caters for approx 2,200 horses and a population of around 4,000 trainers, jockeys, stable employees and their families.
Joao’s sponsoring trainer Noriyuki Hori is based at Miho:
http://japanracing.jp/en/racing/go_racing/jra_racecourses/
(Yutaka Take on the other hand is based at Ritto, where also he was born – as too his jockey younger brother Koshiro)
Weekend results for Joao:
Sat: two wins, two fourths, two fifths, one eighth for prize money of JPY 30m (GBP 202k)
Sun: three wins, two seconds, one third. One fourth, one fifth, one eighth for prize money of JPY 90m (GBP 611k)
Mon: three wins, one second, two thirds, one 4th, one eighth for prize money of JPY 55m (GBP 371k)
Joao now 22nd in 2018 JRA jockey rankings with 46 wins from 115 rides: win ratio of 0.400, first-three ratio of 0.609:
http://japanracing.jp/en/racing/news_media/jockey_rank/Joao has no rides booked for this weekend, against this background:
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Tom Biddington – South China Morning Post:Magic Man quit Hong Kong at the end of last season to pursue a career in the Land of the Rising Sun, but he has fallen short at the first hurdle.
The JRA requires jockeys to pass two tests to earn a full-time licence – firstly a written exam (in English) on racing in Japan and its history and then an oral test (in Japanese).
But the JRA confirmed on Thursday that Moreira did not pass the first written test – which insiders said was clearly the more difficult of the two. Other foreign jockeys looking to ride in Japan have failed that part of the process – some multiple times – before earning their ticket.
If riders do not pass the first part of process, they do not continue onto the oral test, which is scheduled for January 30.
After sitting the written exam on October 2, Moreira told Japanese reporters his chances of passing were “50-50”. His next opportunity to sit the exam comes in 12 months’ time.
The three-time Hong Kong champion jockey still has six weeks remaining on his current short-term licence and he will be able to reapply for another three-month stint in 2019 while continuing his study.
The obvious question is whether that opens up the door for Moreira to come back to Sha Tin, at least for a short-term stint or if he will pursue other opportunities around the world.
His decision in June to withdraw his application for a Hong Kong licence at the last moment caught the Jockey Club by surprise, but licensing committee secretary Steve Railton said any application to return would be treated on its merits.
“There is a lot of water to go under the bridge – it would be a decision for Joao whether he applies to come back here or whether he has something else in mind,” Railton said.
“If he were to apply to resume his career here, that is a decision for the licensing committee.”
The off-track distractions clearly had no impact on Moreira’s ability to ride as he has been in exceptional form in Japan – collecting 46 victories and 24 placings from 115 rides for an astonishing winning strike rate of 40 per cent.
=====================================provisions as to examinations in JRA Rules, Art 43 and following here, which include:
Art. 44 The license examinations for a trainer, or, a jockey shall be conducted not exceeding 2 times each year. Provided, however, special examinations (hereinafter referred to as Special Examinations) may be conducted for those who have been licensed for training, or, riding horses in a foreign country.
….
(Validity of License)
Art. 50 A license shall be valid for one year from the day of licensing (in regards to the licensing of a
person who has passed Special Examinations, a period deemed necessary by the President within a
period of 3 months, or, less from the day of licensing).http://japanracing.jp/en/horsemen/jra_rules/rules_racing.html
rumour mill in progress:
extracts from scmp:
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Moreira is licensed in Japan until October 28 and then he is committed to another stint there from November 10 to December 9, so any return to Hong Kong would have to come after that.….Champion jockey Zac Purton believes the local riders would be the big losers if Joao Moreira comes back to Hong Kong.
After the announcement on Thursday the Magic Man failed to earn a full-time licence in Japan, speculation is rife he has been working the phones to try to engineer a return to Sha Tin – at least for a short-term stint – before having another crack at the Japan Racing Association exams again next year.
……I have noticed this season that the camaraderie and the morale among the local riders in the jockeys’ room has lifted. They seem to have more of a smile on their face, they seem to be having a bit more of a laugh and a joke with everyone – they just seem a lot happier.
“If [Moreira] was to come back it puts the squeeze on them and makes things harder. Is that a good thing or not? I don’t know.
….“Like I’ve always said, competition is good. I suppose it is just up to the Jockey Club now whether they feel they lost face by him doing the ‘exit stage left’ in the manner he did and whether they are comfortable with him coming back as quickly as it looks like he may.”
…Another matter is consideration for the riders set to come here for short-term stints in the European off-season – Silvestre de Sousa and Alexis Badel are odds-on favourites to land two of the gigs – and how they would be affected. It is understood De Sousa, in particular, is only keen to make the trip if he does not have to compete against his compatriot.
“A lot of jockeys did not want to come here because of the lack of opportunities they were getting,” Purton said.
========
update from scmp:
https://www.scmp.com/sport/racing/article/2168631/joao-moreira-poised-make-stunning-return-hong-kong
Superstar jockey Joao Moreira is poised to return to Hong Kong, with 10-time champion trainer John Size set to put in an application for the Magic Man to become his stable rider.
Size confirmed he intends to lodge the paperwork “in the coming days or weeks” and will then wait and see if the Jockey Club licensing committee approves it.
“That is our intention, the application hasn’t gone in yet,” Size said. “There’s a facility here where a trainer can apply for a retained rider so there’s an opportunity there for that at the moment, so I’ll do it.
“If the Jockey Club looks upon it favourably we’ll take it to the next step, but the timing and all that sort of thing is a little unclear at present. I have started to talk to some owners and I haven’t come up with much resistance so far.”
Moreira is committed to ride in Japan until October 28, then he will travel to Australia for the Melbourne Cup and afterwards he is scheduled to have another stint in the Land of the Rising Sun from November 10 to December 9.
He expects to compete at the Longines Hong Kong International Races on December 9 as a Japanese-licensed rider, but then would be free to make a full-time return after that.
The Brazilian, who announced his decision to leave in June but failed to secure a full-time licence in Japan, smashed records on his way to winning 717 races in Hong Kong, collecting three championships in a row (2014-15 to 2016-17) before being dethroned by Zac Purton in an enthralling battle last season.
To become a stable-retained rider, certain criteria needs to be met – the trainer needs to have 30 horses in work and support from 85 per cent of their owners – but that is a fait accompli.
The Jockey Club firstly needs to give Size permission to employ a stable-retained rider and then the jockey must get approval.
Licensing committee secretary Steve Railton confirmed the process and said once the application was lodged “the matter would be considered at the earliest possible convenience of the committee”.
The move ends days of speculation surrounding the possibility of Moreira returning to Hong Kong after it was announced on Thursday he failed the first Japan Racing Association exam needed to secure a full-time licence.
The Jockey Club was not happy in the manner with which he announced his departure from Hong Kong, pulling his application the day before the licensing committee was due to meet, leaving them without a backup plan.
Moreira had told officials of his intention to sit the JRA exam and try to secure a licence there and he was happy to keep riding in Hong Kong in the meantime, but the Jockey Club did not think that was acceptable, so he withdrew his application to stay.
He is expected to sit the JRA exam again next year, with astute judges believing he will pass the second time around.
The move will change the dynamics in the jockey ranks, with the likes of Karis Teetan and Vincent Ho Chak-yiu getting more opportunities and shining in Moreira’s absence.
=========================================
meanwhile, Joao back in saddle at Tokyo on Sat, and at Kyoto on Sun for Japanese Leger:
http://japanracing.jp/en/racing/result/Joao’s short-term JRA licence expired today with him riding second in the Tenno Sho behind Christophe Lemaire who has been on a tear recently in Group races of the JRA.
But two winners on the day, after three yesterday, has been enough to propel Joao into 19th place in the 2018 jockey rankings with 56 wins from 150 rides for standout win ratio of 0.373.
Now heads to Australia for the Melbourne Cup before (though licence still awaited) expected back from November 10 to December 9, on which last day he is expected to ride in the HK Internationals as a JRA-licensed jockey. After that, a free agent.
Meanwhile Colm O’Donoghue showed up on Saturday with a 10-day JRA licence and lost no time getting on scoresheet with 2 winners (his first at 33/1), 3 seconds and a third from 12 rides for prizemoney of JPY 27m (GBP 182,000).
After missing out on Melbourne (his intended ride not make the cut), Joao has just been given another short-term licence by the JRA, from Nov 10 to Dec 9:
http://japanracing.jp/_news2018/181107-02.html
Interestingly, this time his sponsoring trainer is not Noriyuki Hori at Miho but Yasutoshi Ikee at Ritto Training Center, near Kyoto.
Sunday is the Group 1 QE II Cup in Kyoto, as to which the expert on the HKJC simulcast (Naohiro Goda) has written regarding Joao:
“..It is a pity that the best two female thoroughbreds at the moment in Japan are missing from the field of this year’s renewal of the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup.
The best filly is ALMOND EYE by LORD KANALOA, who completed Triple Tiara for 3YO fillies in fascinating style this year. ALMOND EYE, who skips this race, is trained for the G1 Japan Cup on 25th November at Tokyo.
And the second best filly is DEIRDRE, 4YO filly by HARBINGER, winner of the G1 Shuka Sho in 2017 and won the G2 Fuchu Himba Stakes on 13th October at Tokyo very impressively. The connection decides to save her for the G1 Hong Kong Cup, the year-end ultimate goal for the filly.
So who is the third best female thoroughbred in Japan? I believe the horse to bet in this race is LYS GRACIEUX, 4YO filly by HEART’S CRY.
Please read through her form and you find she is so consistent, producing her true form at almost every occasion. In addition to winning two Graded Stakes, she finished second in the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, the G1 Oka Sho, the G1 Shuka Sho and the G1 Victoria Mile, all of which are very important and prestigious races for fillies and mares. And I highly regard the form of the G2 Fuchu Himba Stakes on 13th October at Tokyo, honestly speaking, I believe DEIRDRE, winner of the that race, will have strong chance to win the G1 Hong Kong Cup in December.
And it is another encouraging factor that Joao Moreira is booked for her. My first pick is LYS GRACIEUX….”
http://racing.hkjc.com/racing/overseas/english/racecard.aspx?para=/20181111/S1/1
Joao duly wins the G1 QE II Cup on 4.7 third fav Lys Gracieux, running down the 41.8 outsider longtime leader Crocosmia – JRA video link here in left-hand column (look for green and white hoops and green cap):
JRA race report:
http://japanracing.jp/_news2018/pdf/181111.pdfHis fifth winner on today’s card, he is now 15th in the JRA 2018 jockey rankings with 63 wins from 167 rides for prize money of JPY 996m (GBP 6.7m):
This Sunday Nov 18 Joao misses the JRA G1 Mile Championship to ride instead for John Size in HK in the G2 Jockey Club Sprint:
Meanwhile no overseas horses in that JRA Mile but Ryan Moore comes to Tokyo for Aerolithe (on whom Joao beat Stelvio last time out in a G2) and William Buick for Stelvio:
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