Globe-trotting jockey Joao Moreira stands to earn $568,750 for just over five minutes work should a few big-race favourites win in the coming days, including Golden Eagle hope Ascoli Piceno.
The Japanese filly and Moreira completed two laps at Canterbury on a warm and cloudy morning on Wednesday before knuckling down for the final 600m.
Not even getting gate 17 in Tuesday night’s barrier draw was enough to worry Moreira or the horse’s trainer, Yoichi Kuroiwa, who said via a translator: “I wanted the horse to draw somewhere in the middle. What I didn’t want was an inside draw, so it’s better [being out] than in – we’re not really worried about it. She’s one of the best milers in Japan. Her appetite has also been good [since being in Australia], which is key.”
Jockeys take home five per cent of prizemoney on a race, which would amount to a $262,500 payday for Moreira if Ascoli Piceno wins the Golden Eagle. He will also ride King Of Sparta in the $3m Russell Balding Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill, with the gelding producing a long and eye-catching run home first-up, while Buckeroo is the favourite for next Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup, which has a first-place prize of $4.4m.
Moreira could earn even more if any of the winning connections give the jockey a bonus from their own earnings, what is widely known in racing as a “sling”.
Ascoli Piceno and Joao Moreira knuckle down at Canterbury on Wednesday morning.Credit: Kate Geraghty/SMH
For his part, the jockey known as “Magic Man” said he was just glad to be on some nice horses, including Ascoli Piceno, which drifted from $3.50 to $6 with bookmakers following the barrier draw.
“She feels better than how she felt last week, definitely, she’s spot-on, we just have to hold that form until Saturday,” Moreira said.
“Last week she was not 100 per cent, she was still building … I could feel she was on the way up. Today is where we want her to be.
“I know you will ask me about the gate, it will be tricky, but we’ve dealt with those circumstances many times before, and we will just do our best.
The jockey known as ‘Magic Man’, Joao Moreira, leaves the Canterbury quarantine facility on Wednesday.Credit: Kate Geraghty/SMH
“It’s better to be out than stuck on the inside in such a big field like this; she will be tested, there are no doubts about it, but the way she races, she might enjoy being on the outside.”
Moreira expected Ascoli Piceno to settle mid-field or slightly worse, and said she “will no doubt be dashing home as a really strong horse”.
As for what awaited him in the coming days, Moreira said: “When you decide to make a move to Australia for a short stint, you never know what you are going to end up on.
“I’ve got some really nice horses coming up. I didn’t ride too many nice horses until now, but I am not complaining about that to be very honest.
“But what is coming next, it’s really exciting. This filly is one of them, and my Melbourne Cup ride [Buckeroo] is no doubt another one that so many jockeys dream rides, so I am happy with that.”
It was a busy morning for the internationals with French trainer Jerome Reynier in town to look at his top hope Lazzat, while jockey Cieren Fallon rode English chance Lake Forest.
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