Joao Moreira has ridden 27 winners for Caspar Fownes this season
He got it right at the second attempt, but Casper Fownes move to help secure a riding license in Hong Kong for Joao Moreira, ultimately proved to be a Premiership winning decision as Fownes can now be crowned the 2025/26 Hong Kong Trainers’ Championship winner with a meeting to spare.
Fownes applied to have Moreira as his stable’s retained rider for a short-term stint earlier in the season. On that occasion it was rejected by the Hong Kong Jockey Club … but, later. in February, the HKJC granted Fownes’s application, opening the way for Moreira’s return.
Since Moreira stepped back onto the Sha Tin and Happy Valley battlegrounds in April, it has been a long and tight chase for the trainer’s title between Fownes, Danny Shum, Mark Newnham, Francis Lui and David Hayes … and there is little doubt that Moreira’s contribution was a game-changer in that race with the ‘Magic Man’ partnering twenty-seven of Fownes current total of sixty-nine winners … that being 24.64 percent of Fownes’ winners while only riding for the final three months of the ten month season.
“It’s very rewarding,” said Moreira. “It’s been a pleasure working with him (Fownes). He’s a great trainer. He’s done everything to deserve the success he’s been getting.
“In my opinion, he has won with a quality of horses that is not as good as some of the other trainers. He’s done an amazing job to get those horses to win as many wins as he’s got. I’m just so pleased and proud of being involved.”
The meeting at Happy Valley on Wednesday will bring down the curtain on the 2025/26 Hong Kong racing season.
Given the entries for that final Happy Valley meeting, Fownes holds an unassailable lead for the Premiership on 69 winners. Danny Shum has 64 winners, Mark Newnham 60, Francis Lui (56), David Hayes (54) with John Size (53), rounding out the Top Six on the ladder.
