Joao Moreira, widely regarded as one of the world’s elite jockeys, will return to Flemington on Tuesday in a bid to win the Melbourne Cup at the seventh attempt.
The 42-year-old will partner the Chris Waller-trained outsider Land Legend, who has finished last at his past two starts in the Turnbull Stakes and Caulfield Cup.
Moreira has twice finished runner-up in the Melbourne Cup. In 2016, he went agonisingly close aboard Heartbreak City, who was narrowly beaten by Almandin, before running second again in 2023 on Soulcombe, who was beaten by 2.25 lengths by Without A Fight.
Soulcombe’s run was enormous given he missed the start and was held up for clear running until the final stages. After following the eventual winner throughout the race, Soulcombe could not build momentum until it was too late.
Moreira also faced scrutiny following his ride aboard Buckaroo in last year’s Cup. From gate 20, Buckaroo settled near the tail and was still third-last approaching the 800m. Moreira made a wide, sweeping run rounding the home bend and Buckaroo stuck to his task, finishing ninth and beaten only 3.5 lengths by Knight’s Choice.
