NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Racing

Racing: Swords are out for Moreira

NZ Herald
8 Sep, 2016 05:59 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Heroic Valour (rails) will again clash with Windspelle (N0 10) in the Tavistock Northland Breeders Stakes, the feature event at Ruakaka tomorrow. Picture / Trish Dunell

Heroic Valour (rails) will again clash with Windspelle (N0 10) in the Tavistock Northland Breeders Stakes, the feature event at Ruakaka tomorrow. Picture / Trish Dunell

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

World-class jockey Joao Moreira rides the favourite Omei Sword in tomorrow's A$1 million Golden Rose at Rosehill and if you think he's keen to win, you're wrong.

He's DESPERATE to win.

From the moment champion Sydney trainer Chris Waller announced he was bringing the world No 1 south from Hong Kong for the Omei Sword ride, punt-driven Australian racing got its collective knives out.

Critics pointed out Moreira was none from 14 at the Sydney Championships last year, including a number of favourites.

Sydney punters can at times be grudgingly forgiving for a jockey being beaten, but not on something as good as Winx.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The champion mare and Moreira were beaten into second behind Gust Of Wind in the Australian Oaks during the Championships, when a combination of a rain-affected track and 2400m proved too much.

Fuelling that fire is the fact Winx has not been beaten in 10 starts since.

Before departing Hong Kong, where he has become the darling of punters in the past two years, Moreira told the South China Post: "If they are saying, 'When it is a wet track, Joao cannot perform,' then I will say I was just on horses that could not perform on wet ground, so what could I do? "I don't have wings and I can't make them fly if they can't perform on that type of surface.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"People that were critical of those days don't understand that when the weather changes the conditions and the ground, it becomes like a lottery - it's unpredictable what is going to happen. If you are in the game, you might be lucky or you might be struggling - I don't even consider what they say when it comes to that."

Since the 2015 Championships, Moreira has returned to Australia on four occasions, with 19 rides yielding just the one win - the group two Queensland Guineas on Tsaritsa at Eagle Farm in June.

But by anyone's standards he is as good as it gets. The 31-year-old rose from abject poverty as a school bus driver in his native Brazil to amass a $20 million net worth in the saddle and that does not happen by luck alone.

He won his second straight jockeys' championship in Hong Kong, when he broke his own single-season record and with 168 winners in 2015-16, while he recently took Japan by storm during a summer stint, riding seven winners from seven straight rides, including six in one day.

Discover more

Racing

Racing: Xtravagant the winner on looks

09 Sep 05:00 PM
Racing

Get on the winning path with All Roads

09 Sep 05:00 PM
Racing

Racing: Franco Nelson hard to beat

09 Sep 05:00 PM
Racing

Heroic effort by undefeated colt

10 Sep 05:00 PM

Omei Sword, a High Chaparral filly scored a runaway 3.3-length victory in the Silver Shadow Stakes on August 20 to secure favouritism for this million dollar feature. Last night she was the clear $3.60 favourite on the Sydney TAB.

Joint second favourites Astern and Divine Prophet are ridden by James McDonald and Tommy Berry so fireworks are guaranteed.

●Unquestionably, the most interesting local race tomorrow is Ruakaka's $50,000 Tavistock Northland Breeders Stakes, with unbeaten colt Heroic Valour heading the hugely talented line-up.

The local Donna Logan-Chris Gibbs stable, which has won half of the total races from the past four Ruakaka meetings, has four runners.

Donna Logan's summation: "The Soultaker is very, very forward to resume. Astara is also forward, but she has a wide barrier to contend with.

"Not quite sure Barabas has the class to cope with a very hot race, but he will jump and run, while Windspelle is improved for his first-up race and will be ridden a fraction more quiet this time."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

And a comment on Joao Moreira: "He's a miracle act to watch. Sheer class."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Racing

Racing

Words of warning as superstar steeplechaser returns

12 Jul 05:00 PM
Racing

Racing’s two codes look to join forces

11 Jul 12:19 AM
Racing

Foote stable favoured by global racing giant in coup for NZ

10 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Racing

Words of warning as superstar steeplechaser returns

Words of warning as superstar steeplechaser returns

12 Jul 05:00 PM

The giant of jumps racing returns to the big fences today but may not be at his peak.

Racing’s two codes look to join forces

Racing’s two codes look to join forces

11 Jul 12:19 AM
Foote stable favoured by global racing giant in coup for NZ

Foote stable favoured by global racing giant in coup for NZ

10 Jul 05:00 PM
'Angel riding with us': Teen jockey remembered for selfless act just before tragic death

'Angel riding with us': Teen jockey remembered for selfless act just before tragic death

10 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP